This text discusses the differences in the proportions of the human body, specifically focusing on the lengths from joint to joint. It references Leonardo da Vinci and describes how, in nature, the main part of the body, which is the center of understanding, is prioritized over other areas concerning vital spirits. Additionally, it covers Plato’s view on the most beautiful shape for women and how the elements of human figures differ between men and women, emphasizing the difference in perceived strength and perfection.
OF THE HUMAN FIGURE. 49
Difference in length from one joint to another, as the man's joint from the shoulders to the elbow, from the elbow to the tip of the thumb, and from the end of one shoulder to the other is the width of two heads; while for a child, this width is only one head. This is because nature first concerns itself with the composition of the main part, which is the seat of understanding, rather than what only pertains to vital spirits.
Leonardo da Vinci, chap. CLXIX. See the different figures of children represented in plate XXXVIII.
CHAPTER VII.
On the proportions of a woman.
The circle, or circular figure, dominates in the form of a woman. Plato asserts that it is the most beautiful shape. The circle and rounded form are its primitive elements and are the cause and principle of all beauty. Whereas in man, the cube and square are the elements of strength, grandeur, and mass. The elements of the human figure differ in men and women, as in men all elements tend to perfection, like the cube and equilateral triangle. In women, on the contrary, everything is found weaker and smaller. Therefore, in women, perfection is less.
(1) See the Latin citation from Cicero, page 6.