The text describes detailed observations and measurements of various famous sculptures, highlighting the techniques of viewing and dividing the forms for artistic representation. It discusses the Venus de' Medici and Apollo of the Vatican, emphasizing their superior proportions and artistry. These descriptions reflect on how nature and art combine to enhance human and divine forms in sculpture.
METHOD FOR LEARNING
Nothing perfect can come from the hands of men.
The first figure on Plate 57 represents the Venus de' Medici, seen and measured in front; the second Figure shows it from behind, and the first of Plate 58, from the side. On the same Plate, the specific measurement of its feet is given more prominently, and on Plate 59, the head of the same figure is shown in large size and shaded. In the first three Figures of these two Plates, the entire statue is supposed to be divided into thirty parts or heads, each of which is subdivided into six smaller ones. The rest will be easily understood by looking at the engravings.
Figure 2 of Plate 59 represents a statue of ancient Flora, dressed in light fabric and in an elegant manner. It was found in Rome some years ago, during excavations of ancient ruins.
The Apollo of the Vatican. Plates 60 & 61.
The statue of Apollo seen in the courtyard of the Vatican in Rome is one of the most esteemed masterpieces of Greece. Its posture is lively and full of action; the head is of remarkable beauty and nobility: it truly represents a God. This figure appears to combine the most beautiful proportions and the grace of the most perfect man, joined with the flowing contours and softness of a woman, so that one might believe that the Sculptor, to further embellish the perfections of a young man, tried to soften its forms based on a model of a woman. Thus this nature, which is far superior to everything we see in men, even in adolescence, would be almost an ideal.
Translation Notes:
- "nez" refers to a unit of measurement based on head lengths used in classical sculpture.