THE 
 
 WITH A VIEW TO FIX THE FLUCTUATING 
 IDEAS OF TASTE. 
 
 BY WILLI A 
 
 ARTH. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 A NEW EDITION, 
 
 PRINTED VERBATIM FROM THE ORIGINAL WORK, THE PAGES OF WHICH 
 ARE HERE RETAINED. 
 
 So vary'd he, and of his tortuous train 
 Curl’d many a wanton wreath, in sight of Eve, 
 To lure her eye. — Milton. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR R. SCHOLEY, 46 , PATERNOSTER ROW; 
 
 By T. Davison , Lombard Street , Whitefriars. 
 
 j\ 
 
 1810 , 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Introduction. The use and advantage of considering solid 
 objects as only thin shells composed of lines, like the outer 
 
 coat of an onion I 
 
 Chap. I. Of Fitness * 13 
 
 II. Of Variety 16 
 
 III. Of Uniformity, Regularity, or Symmetry . . 18 
 
 IV. Of Simplicity, or Distinctness . . . .21 
 
 V. Of Intricacy 24 
 
 VI. Of Quantity 2g 
 
 VII. Of Lines 37 
 
 VIII. Of what sort of parts and how pleasing forms 
 
 are composed ...... 39 
 
 IX. Of Compositions with the waving line . . .48 
 
 X. Of Compositions with the serpentine line . . 50 
 
 XI. Of Proportion ....... 67 
 
 XII. Of Light and Shade, and the manner in which 
 
 objects are explained to the eye by them . 93 
 
 XIII. Of Composition with regard to Light, Shade, 
 
 and Colours ...... 10o 
 
 XIV. Of Colouring 113 
 
 XV. Of the Face. 1. In the highest taste, and the 
 
 reverse. 2. As to character and expression. 
 
 3. Of the manner in which the lines of the 
 Face alter from infancy upwards, and shew 
 the different ages . . . * • .122 
 
 XVI. Of Attitude . . • • • *135 
 
 XVII. Of Action. 1 . A new method of acquiring an 
 
 easy and graceful movement of the hand and 
 arms. 2. Of the head, &c. 3. Of dancing, 
 
 particularly the minuet. 4. Of country-danc- 
 cing, and, lastly, of stage-action . . • 138 
 
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PREFACE. 
 
 If a preface was ever necessary, it may very 
 likely be thought so to the following work; the 
 title of which (in the proposals published some 
 time since) hath much amused and raised the 
 expectation of the curious, though not without 
 a mixture of doubt, that its purport could ever 
 be satisfactorily answered. For though beauty 
 is seen and confessed by all, yet, from the many 
 fruitless attempts to account for the cause of its 
 being so, enquiries on this head have almost been 
 given up ; and the subject generally thought to 
 be a matter of too high and too delicate a nature 
 to admit of any true or intelligible discussion. 
 Something therefore introductory ought to be 
 said at the presenting a work with a face so 
 entirely new; especially as it will naturally 
 encounter with, and perhaps may overthrow, 
 several long received and thorough established 
 opinions : and since controversies may arise how 
 far, and after what manner this subject hath 
 hitherto been considered and treated, it will also 
 be proper to lay before the reader what may be 
 
 a 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 gathered concerning it, from the works of the 
 ancient and modem writers and painters. 
 
 It is no wonder this subject should have so 
 long been thought inexplicable, since the nature 
 of many parts of it cannot possibly come within 
 the reach of mere men of letters ; otherwise those 
 p. iv ingenious gentlemen who have lately published 
 treatises upon it (and who have written much 
 more learnedly than can be expected from one 
 who never took up the pen before) would not so 
 soon have been bewildered in their accounts ot 
 it, and obliged so suddenly to turn into the broad, 
 and more beaten path of moral beauty ; in order 
 to extricate themselves out of the difficulties 
 they seem to have met with in this : and withal 
 forced for the same reasons to amuse their readers 
 with amazing (but often misapplied) encomiums 
 on deceased painters and their performances; 
 wherein they are continually discoursing of 
 effects instead of developing causes ; and after 
 many prettinesses, in very pleasing language, 
 do fairly set you down just where they first took 
 you up; honestly confessing that as to grace, 
 the main point in question, they do not even pre- 
 tend to know any thing of the matter. And indeed 
 how should they? when it actually requires a 
 practical knowledge of the whole art of painting 
 (sculpture alone not being sufficient) and that 
 too to some degree of eminence, in order to 
 
p&£face. 
 
 Enable any one to pursue the chain of this 
 enquiry through all its parts : which I hope will 
 be made to appear in the following work. 
 
 It will then naturally be asked, why the best 
 painters within these two centuries, who by their 
 works appear to have excelled in grace and 
 beauty, should have been so silent in an affair 
 of such seemiiig importance to the imitative arts 
 and their own honour ? to which I answer, that 
 it is probable, they arrived at that excellence in p. v 
 their works, by the mere dint of imitating with 
 great exactness the beauties of nature, and by 
 often copying and retaining strong ideas of 
 graceful antique statues; which might suffici- 
 ently serve their purposes as painters, without 
 their troubling themselves with a farther enquiry 
 into the particular causes of the effects before 
 them. It is not indeed a little strange, that the 
 great Leonardo da Vinci (amongst the many 
 philosophical precepts which he hath at random 
 laid down in his treatise on painting) should not 
 have given the least hint of any thing tending to 
 a system of this kind; especially as he was 
 cotemporary with Michael Angelo, who is said 
 to have discovered a certain principle in the 
 trunk only of an antique statue, (well known 
 from this circumstance by the name of Michael 
 Angelo's Torso, or Back, fig. *) which principle 
 
 * Fig. 54. p. I. 
 
PREFACE. , 
 
 gave his works a grandeur of gusto equal to the 
 best antiques. Relative to which tradition, 
 Lamozzo who wrote about painting at the 
 same time, hath this remarkable passage, vol. 
 ]. book 1. 
 
 4 4 And because in this place there falleth out 
 a certaine precept of Michael Angelo much for 
 our purpose, I wil not conceale it, leaving the 
 farther interpretation and vnderstanding thereof 
 to the iudicious reader. It is reported then that 
 Michael Angelo vpon a time gaue this observa- 
 tion to the Painter Marcus de Sciena his scholler ; 
 that he should alwaies make a figure Pyramid all, 
 vi Serpentlike, and multiplied by one two and three. 
 In which precept (in mine opinion) the whole 
 mjsterie of the arte consisteth. For the greatest 
 grace and life that a picture can naue, is, that 
 it expresse Motion : which the Painters call the 
 spirite of a picture : Nowe there is no forme so 
 fitte to expresse this motion , as that of the flame 
 of fire, which according to Aristotle and the other 
 Philosophers, is an elemente most actiue of all 
 others : because the forme of the flame thereof 
 is most apt for motion : for it hath a Conus or 
 sharpe pointe wherewith it seemeth to divide 
 the aire, that so it may ascende to his proper 
 sphere. So that a picture having this forme 
 will bee most beautifull 
 
 * See Hay docks’s translation printed at Oxford, 1598, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Many writers since Lamozzo have in the 
 same words recommended the observing this 
 rule also; without comprehending the meaning 
 of it : for unless it were known systematically, 
 the whole business of grace could not be under- 
 stood. 
 
 Du Fresnoy, in his art of painting, says 
 66 large flowing, gliding outlines which are in 
 waves, give not only a grace to the part, but to 
 the whole body; as we see in the Antinous, and 
 in many other of the antique figures: a fine 
 figure and its parts ought always to have a ser- 
 pent-like and flaming form : naturally those sort p. vii 
 of lines have I know not what of life and seem- 
 ing motion in them, which very much resembles 
 the activity of the flame and of the serpent/’ 
 Now if he had understood what he had said, he 
 could not, speaking of grace, have expressed 
 himself in the following contradictory manner. 
 
 — “ But to say the truth, this is a difficult un- 
 dertaking, and a rare present, which the artist 
 rather receives from the hand of heaven than 
 from his own industry and studies *” But De 
 
 * See Dryden’s translation of his latin poem on Painting, 
 verse 28 , and the remarks on these very lines, page 155 , 
 which run thus, “ It is difficult to say what this grace of 
 painting is, it is to be conceived and understood much 
 more easy than to be expressed by words; it proceeds from 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Piles, in his lives of the painters, is still more 
 contradictory, where he says, “ that a painter 
 can only have it (meaning grace) from nature, 
 and doth not know that he hath it, nor in what 
 degree, nor how he communicates it to his works : 
 and that grace and beauty are two different 
 things ; beauty pleases by the rules, and grace 
 without them/' 
 
 All the English writers on this subject have 
 echoed these passages ; hence Je ne Sfai quoi , 
 is become a fashionable phrase for grace. 
 
 By this it is plain, that this precept which 
 Michael Angelo delivered so long ago in an ora- 
 cle-like manner, hath remained mysterious down 
 to this time, for aught that has appeared to the 
 contrary. The wonder that it should do so will 
 in some measure lessen when we come to con- 
 sider that it must all along have appeared as 
 viiifull of contradiction as the most obscure quibble 
 ever delivered at Delphos, because, winding lines 
 are as often the cause of deformity as of grace , the 
 solution of which, in this place, would be an anti- 
 cipation of what the reader will find at large in 
 the body of the work. 
 
 There are also strong prejudices in favour of 
 straight lines, as constituting true beauty in the 
 
 the illuminations of an excellent mind, (but not to be ac- 
 quired) by which we give an certain turn to things, which 
 makes them pleasing.” 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 human form, where they never should appear. 
 
 A middling connoisseur thinks no profile has 
 beauty without a very straight nose, and if the 
 forehead be continued straight with it, he thinks 
 it is still more sublime. I have seen miserable 
 scratches with the pen, sell at a considerable 
 rate for only having in them a side face or two, 
 like that between fig. 22, and fig. 105, plate 1, 
 which was made, and any one might do the 
 same, with the eyes shut. The common notion 
 that a person should be straight as an arrow, 
 and perfectly erect, is of this kind. If a dancing- 
 master were to see his scholar in the easy and 
 gracefully-turned attitude of the Antinous (fig. 
 
 6, plate 1,) he would cry shame on him, and tell 
 him he looked as crooked as a ram's horn, and 
 bid him hold up his head as he himself did. See 
 fig. 7j plate 1. 
 
 The painters, in like maimer, by their works, 
 seem to be no less divided upon the subject than 
 the authors. The French, except such as have 
 imitated the antique, or the Italian school, seem 
 to have studiously avoided the serpentine line in 
 all their pictures, especially Anthony Coypel, 
 history painter, and Rigaud, principal portrait 
 painter to Lewis the 14th. 
 
 Rubens, whose manner of designing was p * ix 
 quite original, made use of a large flowing line 
 as a principle, which runs through all his works, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 and gives a noble spirit to them ; but he did 
 not seem to be acquainted with what we call the 
 precise line ; which hereafter we shall be very 
 particular upon, and which gives the delicacy 
 we see in the best Italian masters ; but he ra- 
 ther charged his contours in general with too 
 bold and S-like swellings. 
 
 Raphael, from a straight and stiff manner, 
 on a sudden changed his taste of lines at sight 
 of Michael Angelo's works, and the antique 
 statues ; and so fond was he of the serpentine 
 line, that he carried it into a ridiculous excess, 
 particularly in his draperies : though his great 
 observance of nature suffered him not long to 
 continue in this mistake. 
 
 Peter de Cortone formed a fine manner in 
 his draperies of this line. 
 
 We see this principle no where better under- 
 stood than in some pictures of Corregio, parti- 
 cularly his Juno and Ixion : yet the proportions 
 of his figures are sometimes such as might be 
 corrected by a common sign painter. 
 
 Whilst Albert Durer, who drew mathemati- 
 cally, never so much as deviated into grace, 
 which he must sometimes have done in copying 
 the life, if he had not been fettered with his 
 own impracticable rules of proportion. 
 
 P. x But that which may have puzzled this matter 
 most, may be, that Vandyke, one of the best 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 portrait painters in most respects ever known, 
 plainly appears not to have had a thought of 
 this kind. For there seems not to be the 
 least grace in his pictures more than what 
 the life chanced to bring before him. There is 
 a print of the Dutchess of Wharton (fig. 52, 
 plate 2,) engraved by Van Gunst, from a true 
 picture by him, which is thoroughly divested of 
 every elegance. Now, had he known this line as 
 a principle, he could no more have drawn all the 
 parts of this picture so contrary to it, than Mr. 
 Addison could have wrote a whole Spectator in 
 false grammar; unless it were done on purpose. 
 However, on account of his other great excellen- 
 cies, painters chuse to style this want of grace 
 in his attitudes, &c. simplicity , and indeed they 
 do often very justly merit that epithet. 
 
 Nor have the painters of the present times 
 been less uncertain and contradictory to each 
 other, than the masters already mentioned, 
 whatever they may pretend to the contrary: of 
 this I had a mind to be certain, and therefore, 
 in the year 1745, published a frontispiece to my 
 engraved works, in which I drew a serpentine 
 line lying on a painter’s pallet, with these words 
 under it, the line of beauty. The bait soon 
 took ; and no Egyptian hieroglyphic ever amused 
 more than it did for a time, painters and sculp- 
 tors came to me to know the meaning of it, p. x i 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 being as much puzzled with it as other people, 
 till it came to have some explanation ; then in- 
 deed, but not till then, some found it out to be 
 an old acquaintance of theirs, though the ac- 
 count they could give of its properties was very 
 near as satisfactory as that which a day-labourer 
 who constantly uses the leaver, could give of 
 that machine as a mechanical power. 
 
 Others, as common face painters and copiers 
 of pictures, denied that there could be such a 
 rule either in art or nature, and asserted it was 
 all stuff and madness ; but no wonder that these 
 gentlemen should not be ready in comprehending 
 a thing they have little or no business with. For 
 though the picture copier may sometimes to a 
 common eye seem to vie with the original he 
 copies, the artist himself requires no more ability, 
 genius, or knowledge of nature, than a journey- 
 man-weaver at the goblins, who in working after 
 a piece of painting, bit by bit, scarcely knows 
 what he is about, whether he is weaving a man 
 or a horse, yet at last almost insensibly turns 
 out of his loom a fine piece of tapestry, repre- 
 senting, it may be, one of Alexander's battles 
 painted by Le Brun. 
 
 As the above-mentioned print thus involved 
 me in frequent disputes by explaining the qua- 
 lities of the line, I was extremely glad to find it 
 (which I had conceived as only part of a system 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 in my mind) so well supported by the above P. xii 
 precept of Michael Angelo : which was first 
 pointed out to me by Dr. Kennedy, a learned 
 antiquarian and connoisseur, of whom I after- 
 wards purchased the translation, from which I 
 have taken several passages to my purpose. 
 
 Let us now endeavour to discover what light 
 antiquity throws upon the subject in question. 
 
 Egypt first, and afterward Greece, have 
 manifested by their works their great skill in 
 arts and sciences, and among the rest painting, 
 and sculpture, all which are thought to have 
 issued from their great schools of philosophy. 
 Pythagoras, Socrates, and Aristotle, seem to have 
 pointed out the right road in nature for the study 
 of the painters and sculptors of those times 
 (which they in all probability afterwards followed 
 through those nicer paths that their particular 
 professions required them to pursue) as may be 
 reasonably collected from the answers given by 
 Socrates to Aristippus his disciple, and Parrha- 
 sius the painter, concerning fitness, the first 
 fundamental law in nature with regard to 
 beauty. 
 
 I am in some measure saved the trouble of col- 
 lecting an historical account of these arts among 
 the ancients, by accidentally meeting with a pre- 
 face to a tract called the Beau Ideal: this treatise * 
 
 * Published in 1732, and sold by A. Millar. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 was written by Lambert Hermanson Ten Kate, 
 in French, and translated into English by James 
 Christopher le Blon ; who in that preface says, 
 speaking of the Author, “ His superior know- 
 xiii ledge that I am now publishing, is the product 
 of the Analogy of the ancient Greeks ; or the 
 true key for finding all harmonious proportions 
 in painting, sculpture, architecture, music, &c. 
 brought home to Greece by Pythagoras. For 
 after this great philosopher had travelled into 
 Phoenicia, Egypt and Chaldea, where he con- 
 versed with the learned ; he returned into Greece 
 about Anno Mundi 3484, before the Christian 
 aera 520, and brought with him many excellent 
 discoveries and improvements for the good of 
 his countrymen, among which the Analogy was 
 one of the most considerable and useful. 
 
 “ After him the G recians, by the help of this 
 Analogy, began (and not before) to excel other 
 nations in sciences and arts ; for whereas before 
 this time they represented their Divinities in 
 plain human figures, the Grecians now began to 
 enter into the Beau Ideal; and Pamphilus, (who 
 flourished A. M. 3641, before the Christian aera 
 363, who taught, that no man could excel in 
 painting without mathematics) the scholar of 
 Pausius and master of Apelles, was the first who 
 artfully applied the said Analogy to the art of 
 painting; as much about the same time the 
 sculpturers, the architects, &c. began to apply 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 it to their several arts, without whieh science, 
 the Grecians had remained as ignorant as their 
 forefathers. 
 
 “ They carried on their improvements in P. xiv 
 drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, See. 
 till they became the wonders of the world ; 
 especially after the Asiatics and Egyptians 
 (who had formerly been the teachers of the 
 Grecians) had, in process of time and by the 
 havock of war, lost all the excellency in sciences 
 and arts; for which all other nations were after- 
 wards obliged to the Grecians, without being- 
 able so much as to imitate them. 
 
 “ For when the Romans had conquered 
 Greece and Asia, and had brought to Rome the 
 best paintings and the finest artists, we do not 
 find they discovered the great key of knowledge, 
 the Analogy I am now speaking of; but their 
 best performances were conducted by Grecian 
 artists, who it seems cared not to commu- 
 nicate their secret of the Analogy; because 
 either they intended to be necessary at Rome, 
 by keeping the secret among themselves, or else 
 the Romans, who principally affected universal 
 dominion, were not curious enough to search 
 after the secret, not knowing the importance of 
 it, nor understanding that, without it, they could 
 never attain to the excellency of the Grecians : 
 though nevertheless it must be owned that the 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Romans used well the proportions, which the? 
 Grecians long before had reduced to certain 
 fixed rules according to their ancient Analogy; 
 and the Romans could arrive at the happy use 
 xv. of the proportions, without comprehending the 
 Analogy itself/' 
 
 This account agrees with what is constantly 
 observed in Italy, where the Greek, and Roman 
 work, both in medals and statues, are as distin- 
 guishable as the characters of the two languages. 
 
 As the preface had thus been of service to 
 me, I was in hopes from the title of the book 
 (and the assurance of the translator, that the 
 author had by his great learning discovered the 
 secret of the ancients) to have met with some- 
 thing there that might have assisted, or con- 
 firmed the scheme I had in hand; but was much 
 disappointed in finding nothing of that sort, and 
 no explanation, or even after-mention of what 
 at first agreeably alarmed me, the word Analogy. 
 I have given the reader a specimen in lhs own 
 words, how far the author has discovered this 
 grand secret of the ancients, or great key of 
 knowledge , as the translator calls it. 
 
 “ The sublime part that I so much esteem, 
 and of which I have begun to speak, is a real 
 ne seal quoi , or an unaccountable something 
 to most people, and it is the most important 
 part to all the connoisseurs, I shall call it an 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 harmonious propriety, which is a touching of 
 moving unity, or a pathetic agreement or con- 
 cord, not only of each member to its bod}', but 
 also of each part to the member of which it is a 
 part: It is also an infinite variety of parts, how- 
 ever conformable, with respect to each different p. xv i 
 subject, so that all the attitude, and all the ad- 
 justment of the draperies of each figure ought 
 to answer or correspond to the subject chosen. 
 Briefly, it is a true decorum, a bienseance or a 
 congruent disposition of ideas, as well for the 
 face and stature, as for the attitudes. A bright 
 genius, in my opinion, who aspires to excel in 
 the ideal, should propose this to himself, as what 
 has been the principal study of the most famous 
 artists Tis in this part that the great masters 
 cannot be imitated or copied but by themselves, 
 or by those that are advanced in the knowledge 
 of the ideal, and who are as knowing as those 
 masters in the rules or laws of the pittoresque 
 and poetical nature, although inferior to the 
 masters in the high spirit of invention/' 
 
 The words in this quotation 44 It is also an 
 infinite variety of parts,” seem at first to have 
 some meaning in them, but it is entirely destroy- 
 ed by the rest of the paragraph, and all the other 
 pages are filled, according to custom, with de- 
 scriptions of pictures. 
 
 Now, as every one has a right to conjecture 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 what this discovery of the ancients might be, it 
 shall be my business to shew it was a key to the 
 thorough knowledge of variety both in form, and 
 movement. Shakespear, who had the deepest 
 penetration into nature, has summed up all the 
 xvii charms of beauty in two words, infinite va- 
 riety; where, speaking of Cleopatra's power 
 over Anthony, he says, 
 
 - Nor custom stale 
 
 Her infinite variety : Act 2. Scene 3. 
 
 It has been ever observed, that the ancients 
 made their doctrines mysterious to the vulgar, 
 and kept them secret from those who were not 
 of their particular sects, and societies, by means 
 of symbols, and hieroglyphics. Lamozzo says, 
 chap. 29 j book 1. “The Grecians in imitation 
 of antiquity searched out the truly renowned 
 proportion, wherein the exact perfection of most 
 exquisite beauty and sweetness appeareth ; de- 
 dicating the same in a triangular glass unto 
 Venus the goddess of divine beauty, from 
 whence all the beauty of inferior things is 
 derived." 
 
 If we suppose this passage to be authentic, 
 may we not also imagine it probable, that the 
 symbol in the triangular glass, might be similar 
 to the line Michael Angelo recommended ; 
 especially, if it can be proved, that the triangu- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 lar form of the glass, and the serpentine line 
 itself, are the two most expressive figures 
 that can be thought of to signify not only 
 beauty and graces but the whole order of 
 form. 
 
 There is a circumstance in the account 
 Pliny gives of Apelles's visit to Protogenes, 
 which strengthens this supposition. I hope I 
 may have leave to repeat the story. Apelles 
 having heard of the fame of Protogenes, went 
 . to Rhodes to pay him a visit, but not finding p. xv jii 
 him at home asked for a board, on which he 
 drew a line , telling the servant maid, that line 
 would signify to her master who had been to see 
 him ; we are not clearly told what sort of a line 
 it was that could so particularly signify one of 
 the first of his profession : if it was only a stroke 
 (though as fine as a hair as Pliny seems to think) 
 it could not possibly, by any means, denote the 
 abilities of a great painter. But if we suppose 
 it to be a line of some extraordinary quality, 
 such as the serpentine line will appear to be, 
 Apelles could not have left a more satisfactory 
 signature of the compliment he had paid him. 
 Protogenes when he came home took the hint, 
 and drew a finer or rather more expressive line 
 within it, to shew Apelles if he came again, that 
 he understood his meaning. He, soon return- 
 
 b 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 ing, was well-pleased with the answer Protogenes 
 had left for him, by which he was convinced 
 that fame had done him justice, and so 
 correcting the line again, perhaps by making 
 it more precisely elegant, he took his leave. 
 The story thus may be reconciled to common 
 sense, which, as it has been generally received, 
 could never be understood but as a ridiculous 
 tale. 
 
 Let us add to this, that there is scarce an 
 Egyptian, Greek, or Roman deity, but hath a 
 twisted serpent, twisted cornucopia, or some 
 symbol winding in this manner to accompany 
 it. The two small heads (over the busto of the 
 xi* Hercules, fig. 4, in plate 1.) of the goddess Isis, 
 one crowned with a globe between two horns, 
 the other with a lily *, are of this kind. Har- 
 pocrates, the god of silence, is still more remark- 
 ably so, having a large twisted horn growing out 
 of the side of his head, one cornucopia in his hand, 
 and another at his feet, with his finger placed on 
 his lips, indicating secrecy: (see Montfaucon's 
 antiquities) and it is as remarkable, that the 
 
 * The leaves of this flower as they grow, twist themselves 
 various ways in a> pleasing manner, as may be better seen by 
 figure 43, in plate 1, but there is a curious little flower called 
 the Autumn Syclamen, fig. 47, the leaves of which elegantly 
 twist one way only. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 deities of barbarous and gothic nations never 
 had, nor have to this day, any of these elegant 
 forms belonging to them. How absolutely void 
 of these turns are the pagods of China, and what 
 a mean taste runs through most of their attempts 
 in painting and sculpture, notwithstanding they 
 finish with such excessive neatness; the whole 
 nation in these matters seem to have but one 
 eye: this mischief naturally follows from the 
 prejudic esthey imbibe by copying one another's 
 works, which the ancients seem seldom to have 
 done. 
 
 Upon the whole, it is evident, that the an- 
 cients studied these arts very differently from 
 the moderns : Lamozzo seems to be partly aware 
 of this, by what he says in the division of his 
 work, page 9> “ There is a two-folde proceeding 
 in all artes and sciences : the one is called the 
 order of nature, and the other of teaching. Na- P. xx 
 ture proceedeth ordinarily, beginning with the 
 unperfect, as the particulars, and ending with 
 the perfect, as the universal. Now if in search- 
 ing out the nature of things, our understanding 
 shall proceed e after that order, by which they 
 are brought forth by nature, doubtlesse it will 
 be the most absolute and ready method that can 
 bee imagined. For we beginne to know things 
 by their first and immediate principles, See. and 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 this is not only mine opinion but Aristotles also/' 
 yet, mistaking Aristotle’s meaning, and absolutely 
 deviating from his advice, he afterwards says, 
 64 all which if we could comprehend within our 
 understanding, we should be most wise; but it 
 is impossible” and after having given some dark 
 reasons why he thinks so, he tells you “ he re- 
 solves to follow the order of teaching,” which all 
 the writers on painting have in like manner 
 since done. 
 
 Had I observed the foregoing passage, before 
 I undertook this essay, it probably would have 
 put me to a stand, and deterred me from ven- 
 turing upon what Lamozzo calls an impossible 
 task : but observing in the forementioned con- 
 troversies that the torrent generally ran against 
 me; and that several of my opponents had 
 turned my arguments into ridicule, yet were 
 daily availing themselves of their use, and vent- 
 in them even to my face as their own ; I began 
 to wish the publication of something on this 
 p. xxi subject ; and accordingly applied myself to 
 several of my friends, whom I thought capable 
 of taking up the pen for me, offering to furnish 
 them with materials by word of mouth: but 
 finding this method not practicable, from the 
 difficulty of one man’s expressing the ideas of 
 another, especially on a subject which he was 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 either unacquainted with, or was new in its kind, 
 
 I was therefore reduced to an attempt of find- 
 ing such words as would best answer my own 
 ideas, being now too far engaged to drop the 
 design. Hereupon, having digested the matter 
 as well as I could, and thrown it into the form 
 of a book, I submitted it to the judgment of 
 such friends whose sincerity and abilities 1 could 
 best rely on, determining on their approbation 
 or dislike to publish or destroy it: but their 
 favourable opinion of the manuscript being 
 publicly known, it gave such a credit to the un- 
 dertaking, as soon changed the countenances of 
 those, who had a better opinion of my pencil, 
 than my pen, and turned their sneers into ex- 
 pectation : especially when the same friends 
 had kindly made me an offer of conducting the 
 work through the press. And here I must ac- 
 knowledge myself particularly indebted to one 
 gentleman for his corrections and amendment 
 of at least a third part of the wording. Through 
 his absence and avocations, several sheets went 
 to the press without any assistance, and the rest 
 had the occasional inspection of one or two 
 other friends. If any inaccuracies shallbe found 
 in the writing, I shall readily acknowledge them p.xx 
 all my own, and am, I confess, under no great 
 concern about them, provided the matter in 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 general may be found useful and answerable in 
 the application of it to truth and nature ; in 
 which material points, if the reader shall think 
 fit to rectify any mistakes, it will give me a sen- 
 sible pleasure, and be doing great honour to 
 the work. 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 For the more easy finding the figures referred to in the two prints belonging 
 to this work, the references are for the most part placed at the bottom of 
 the page. Fig. T. p. 1. signifies the top of plate 1. L. p. 1. the left side. R. 
 p. 1. the right side- B. p. 1. the bottom. And where a figure is referred to in 
 the middle of either print, it is only marked thus, fig. p, 1. or fig. p. 2. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I now offer to the public a short essay, accom- 
 panied with two explanatory prints, in which I 
 shall endeavour to shew what the principles are 
 in nature, by which we are directed to call the 
 forms of some bodies beautiful, others ugly; 
 some graceful, and others the reverse; by con- 
 sidering more minutely than has hitherto been 
 done, the nature of those lines, and their differ- 
 ent combinations, which serve to raise in the 
 mind the ideas of all the variety of forms ima- 
 ginable. At first, perhaps, the whole design, 
 as well as the prints, may seem rather intended 
 to' trifle and confound, than to entertain and in- 
 form: but I am persuaded that when the exam- 
 ples in nature, refer; ed to in this essay, are duly 
 considered and examined upon the principles 
 laid down in it, it will be thought worthy of a 
 careful and attentive perusal: and the prints 
 themselves too will, I make no doubt, be examin- 
 ed as attentively, when it is found, that almost 
 every figure in them (how oddly soever they 
 may seem to be grouped together) is referred to 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 singly in the essay, in order to assist the reader% 
 imagination, when the original examples in art, 
 or nature, are not themselves before him. 
 
 And in this light I hope my prints will be 
 considered, and that the figures referred to in 
 them will never be imagined to be placed there 
 by me as examples themselves, of beauty or 
 grace, but only to point out to the reader what 
 sorts of objects he is to look for and examine in 
 nature, or in the works of the greatest masters. 
 My figures, therefore, are to be considered in the 
 same light, with those a mathematician makes 
 with his pen, which may convey the idea of his 
 demonstration, though not a line in them is 
 either perfectly straight, or of that peculiar curva- 
 ture he is treating of. Nay, so far was I from 
 aiming at grace, that I purposely chose to be 
 least accurate, where most beauty might be ex- 
 pected, that no stress might be laid on the 
 figures to the prejudice of the work itself. For 
 I must confess, I have but little hopes of having 
 a favourable attention given to my design in 
 general, by those who hav^ already had a more 
 fashionable introduction into the mysteries of 
 the arts of painting, and sculpture. Much less 
 do I expect, or in truth desire, the countenance 
 of that set of people, who have an interest in 
 exploding any kind of doctrine, that may teach 
 us to see with our own eyes. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It may be needless to observe, that some of 
 the last mentioned are not only the dependents 
 on, but often the only instructors and leaders of 
 the former; but in what light they are so con- P.3 
 sidered abroad, may be partly seen by * a bur- 
 lesque representation of them, taken from a 
 print published by Mr. Pond, designed by Cav r . 
 Ghezzi at Rome. 
 
 To those, then, whose judgments are unpre- 
 judiced, this little work is submitted with most 
 pleasure; because it is from such that I have 
 hitherto received the most obligations, and now 
 have reason to expect most candour. 
 
 Therefore I would fain have such of my 
 readers be assured, that however they may have 
 been awed, and over-born by pompous terms of 
 art, hard names, and the parade of seemingly 
 magnificent collections of pictures and statues ; 
 they are in a much fairer way, ladies, as well as 
 gentlemen, of gaining a perfect knowledge of 
 the elegant and beautiful in artificial, as well as 
 natural forms, by considering them in a systema- 
 tical, but at the same time familiar way, than 
 those who have been prepossessed by dogmatic 
 rules, taken from the performances of art only : 
 iiay, I will venture to say, sooner, and more ra- 
 
 * Fig. 1. T. p. 1. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tionally, than even a tolerable painter, who has 
 imbibed the same prejudices. 
 
 The more prevailing the notion may be, that 
 painters and connoisseurs are the only compe- 
 tent judges of things of this sort ; the more it 
 becomes necessary to clear up and confirm, as 
 much as possible, what has only been asserted 
 in the foregoing paragraph : that no one may be 
 deterred, by the want of such previous know- 
 ledge, from entering into this enquiry. 
 
 4 The reason why gentlemen, who have been 
 inquisitive after knowledge in pictures, have 
 their eyes less qualified for our purpose, than 
 others, is because their thoughts have been en- 
 tirely and continually employed and incumbered 
 with considering and retaining the various man- 
 ners in which pictures are painted, the histories, 
 names, and characters of the masters, together 
 with many other little circumstances belonging 
 to the mechanical part of the art ; and little or 
 no time has been given for perfecting the ideas 
 they ought to have in their minds, of the objects 
 themselves in nature : for by havi ng thus espoused 
 and adopted their first notions from nothing but 
 imitations , and becoming too often as bigotted 
 to their faults, as their beauties, they at length, 
 in a manner, totally neglect, or at least disregard 
 the works of nature, merely because they do not 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tally with what their minds are so strongly pre- 
 possessed with. 
 
 Were not this a true state of the case, many 
 a reputed capital picture, that now adorns the 
 cabinets of the curious in all countries, would 
 long ago have been committed to the flames : 
 nor would it have been possible for the Venus 
 and Cupid, represented by the figure *, to have 
 made its way into the principal apartment of a 
 palace. 
 
 It is also evident that the painter's eye may 
 not be a bit better fitted to receive these new 
 impressions, who is in like manner too much 
 captivated with the works of art ; for he also is 
 apt to pursue the shadow, and drop the sub- 
 stance. This mistake happens chiefly to those P. 
 who go to Rome for the accomplishment of their 
 studies, as they naturally will, without the utmost 
 care, take the infectious turn of the connoisseur, 
 instead of the painter : and in proportion as they 
 turn by those means bad proficients in their own 
 arts, they become the more considerable in that 
 of a connoisseur. As a confirmation of this 
 seeming paradox, it has ever been observed at 
 all auctions of pictures, that the very worst paint- 
 ers sit as the most profound judges, and are 
 
 * Under fig. 49. T. p. 1. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 trusted only, I suppose, on account of their dis- 
 interestedness. 
 
 I apprehend a good deal of this will look 
 more like resentment, and a design to invalidate 
 the objections of such as are not likely to set the 
 faults of this work in the most favourable light; 
 than merely for the encouragement, as was said 
 above, of such of my readers, as are neither 
 painters, nor connoisseurs : and I will be inge- 
 nuous enough to confess something of this may 
 be true ; but, at the same time, I cannot allow 
 that this alone would have been a sufficient mo- 
 tive to have made me risk giving offence to any ; 
 had not another consideration, besides that al- 
 ready alledged, of more consequence to the 
 purpose in hand, made it necessary. I mean 
 the setting forth, in the strongest colours, the sur- 
 prising alterations objects seemingly undergo 
 through the prepossessions and prejudices con- 
 tracted by the mind. — Fallacies, strongly to be 
 guarded against by such as would learn to see 
 objects truly ! 
 
 6 Although the instances already given are 
 pretty flagrant, yet it is certainly true, (as a far- 
 ther confirmation of this, and for the consolation 
 of those, who may be a little piqued at what has 
 been said) that painters of every condition 
 are stronger instances of the almost unavoid- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 able power of prejudice, than any people what- 
 ever. 
 
 What are all the manners , as they are 
 called, of even the greatest masters, which are 
 known to differ so much from one another, and 
 all of them from nature, but so many strong 
 proofs of their inviolable attachmentto falsehood, 
 converted into established truth in their own 
 eyes, by self-opinion? Rubens would, in all pro- 
 bability, have been as much disgusted at the dry 
 
 manner of Poussin, as Poussin was at the extra- 
 vagant of Rubens. The prejudices of inferior 
 proficients in favour of the imperfections of their 
 own performances, is still more amazing. — Their 
 eyes are so quick in discerning the faults of 
 others, at the same time they are so totally blind 
 to their own! Indeed it would be well for us all, 
 if one of Gulliver s flappers could be placed at our 
 elbows to remind us at every stroke how much 
 prejudice and self-opinion perverts our sight. 
 
 From what has been said, I hope it appear^ 
 that those, who have no bias of any kind, either 
 from their own practice, or the lessons of others, 
 are fittest to examine into the truth of the prin- 
 ciples laid down in the following pages. But as 
 every one may not have had an opportunity of 
 being sufficiently acquainted with the instances, 
 that have been given : I will offer one of a fami- 
 liar kind, which may be a hint for their observ- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ing a thousand more. How gradually does the 
 eye grow reconciled even to a disagreeable dress, 
 as it becomes more and more the fashion, and 
 how soon return to its dislike of it, when it is 
 left off, and a new one has taken possession of 
 the mind? — so vague is taste, w r hen it has no 
 solid principles for its foundation ! 
 
 Notwithstanding I have told you my design 
 of considering minutely the variety of lines, 
 which serve to raise the ideas of bodies in the 
 mind, and which are undoubtedly to be consi- 
 dered as drawn on the surfaces only of solid or 
 opake bodies: yet the endeavouring to conceive, 
 as accurate an idea as is possible, of the inside 
 of those surfaces, if I may be allowed the ex- 
 pression, will be a great assistance to us in the 
 pursuance of our present enquiry. 
 
 In order to my being well understood, let 
 every object under our consideration be ima- 
 gined to have its inward contents scooped out so 
 nicely, as to have nothing of it left but a thin 
 shell, exactly corresponding both in its inner and 
 outer surface, to the shape of the object itself : 
 and let us likewise suppose this thin shell to be 
 made up of very fine threads, closely connected 
 together, and equally perceptible, whether the 
 eye is supposed to observe them from without, 
 or within ; and we shall find the ideas of the two 
 surfaces of this shell will naturally coincide. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The very word, shell, makes us seem to see both 
 surfaces alike. 
 
 The use of this conceit, as it may be called P. * 
 by some, will be seen to be very great, in the 
 process of this work : and the oftener we think 
 of objects in this shell-like manner, we shall faci- 
 litate and strengthen our conception of any par- 
 ticular part of the surface of an object we are 
 viewing, by acquiring thereby a more perfect 
 knowledge of the whole, to which it belongs: 
 because the imagination will naturally enter into 
 the vacant space within this shell, and there at 
 once, as from a center, view the whole form 
 within, and mark the opposite corresponding 
 parts so strongly, as to retain the idea of the 
 whole, and make us masters of the meaning of 
 every view of the object, as we walk round it, 
 and view it from without. 
 
 Thus the most perfect idea we can possibly 
 acquire of a sphere, is by conceiving an infinite 
 number of straight rays of equal lengths, issuing 
 from the center, as from the eye, spreading every 
 way alike; and circumscribed or wound about 
 at their other extremities with close connected 
 circular threads, or lines, forming a true spheri- 
 cal shell. 
 
 But in the common way of taking the view 
 of any opake object, that part of its surface, 
 which fronts the eye, is apt to occupy the mind 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 alone, and the opposite, nay even every othei’ 
 part of it whatever, is left unthought of at that 
 time : and the least motion we make to recon- 
 noitre any other side of the object, confounds 
 our first idea, for want of the connexion of the 
 9 two ideas, which the complete knowledge of the 
 whole would naturally have given us, if we had 
 considered it in the other way before. 
 
 Another advantage of considering objects 
 thus merely as shells composed of lines, is, that 
 by these means we obtain the true and full idea 
 of what is called the outlines of a figure, which 
 has been confined within too narrow limits, by 
 taking it only from drawings on paper; for in the 
 example of the sphere given above, every one of 
 the imaginary circular threads has a right to be 
 considered as an outline of the sphere, as well as 
 those which divide the half, that is seen, from 
 that which is not seen ; and if the eye be sup- 
 posed to move regularly round it, these threads 
 will each of them as regularly succeed one 
 another in the office of outlines, (in the narrow 
 and limited sense of the word :) and the instant 
 any one of these threads, during this motion of 
 the eye, comes into sighf on one side, its oppo- 
 site thread is lost, and disappears on the other. 
 He who will thus take the pains of acquiring 
 perfec t ideas of the distances, bearings, and op- 
 positions of several material points and lines in 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the surfaces of even the most irregular figures, 
 will gradually arrive at the knack of recalling 
 them into his mind when the objects themselves 
 are not before him: and they will be as strong 
 
 i * O 
 
 and perfect as those of the most plain and regu- 
 lar forms, such as cubes and spheres ; and will 
 be of infinite service to those who invent and 
 draw from fancy, as well as enable those to be 
 more correct who draw from the life. 
 
 In this manner, therefore, I would desire the P. id 
 reader to assist his imagination as much as pos- 
 •ible, in considering every object, as if his eye 
 were placed within it. As straight lines are easily 
 conceived, the difficulty of following this method 
 in the most simple and regular forms will be less 
 than may be first imagined ; and its use in the 
 more compounded will be greater : as will be 
 more fully shewn when we come to speak of 
 composition. 
 
 But as fig.* may be of singular use to young 
 designers in the study of the human form, the 
 most complex and beautiful of all, in shewing 
 them a mechanical way of gaining the opposite - 
 points in its surface, which never can be seen in 
 one and the same view ; it will be proper to ex- 
 plain the design of it in this place, as it may at 
 
 * Fig. 2. L. p. l. 
 
 G 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the same time add some weight to what has 
 been already said. 
 
 It represents the trunk of a figure cast in soft 
 wax, with one wire passed peipendiculaily 
 through its center, another perpendicularly to 
 the first, going in before and coming out in the 
 middle of the back, and as many more as may 
 be thought necessary, parallel to and at equal 
 distances from these, and each other ; as is 
 marked by the several dots in the figure.— Let 
 these wires be so loose as to be taken out at 
 pleasure, but not before all the parts of them, 
 which appear out of the wax, are carefully 
 painted close up to the wax, of a different co- 
 lour from those that lie within it. Ly these 
 P. 11 means the horizontal and perpendicular contents 
 of these parts of the body (by which I mean the 
 distances of opposite points in the surface ol 
 these parts) through which the wires have passed, 
 may be exactly known and compaied with each 
 other ; and the little holes, where the wires have 
 pierced the wax, remaining on its surface, will 
 mark out the corresponding opposite points on 
 the external muscles of the body ; as well as assist 
 and guide us to a readier conception of all the in- 
 tervening parts. These points may be marked 
 upon a marble figure with calibers properly 
 used. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The known method, many years made 
 use of, for the more exactly and expeditiously 
 reducing drawings from large pictures, for en- 
 gravings ; or for enlarging designs for painting 
 ceilings and cupolas, (by striking lines perpen- 
 dicular to each other, so as to make an equal 
 number of squares on the paper designed for 
 the copy, that hath been first made on the ori- 
 ginal ; by which means the situation of every 
 part of the picture is mechanically seen, and 
 easily transferred) may truly be said to be some- 
 what of the same kind with what has been here 
 proposed, but that one is done upon a flat sur- 
 face, the other upon a solid ; and that the new 
 scheme differs in its application, and may be of 
 a much more useful and extensive nature than 
 the old one. 
 
 But it is time now to have done with the in- 
 troduction : and I shall proceed to consider the 
 fundamental principles, which are generally al- R 
 lowed to give elegance and beauty, when duly 
 blended together, to compositions of all kinds 
 whatever; and point out to my readers the par- 
 ticular force of each, in those compositions in 
 nature and art, which seem most to please and 
 entertain the eye , and give that grace and beauty, 
 which is the subject of this enquiry. The 
 principles I mean, are fitness, variety, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 UNIFORMITY, SIMPLICITY, INTRICACY, and 
 quantity ; — all which co-operate in the prod lic- 
 it n of beauty , mutually correcting and restrainn 
 ing each other occasionally. 
 
T.i%£rA:Scu/p. x J3mT 
 
i 
 
 THE 
 
 ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 OF FITNESS. 
 
 Fitness of the parts to the design for which every 
 individual thing is formed, either by art or nature, is 
 lust to be considered, as it is of the greatest conse- 
 quence to the beauty of the whole. This is so evident, 
 that even the sense of seeing, the great inlet of beauty, 
 is itself so strongly biassed by it, that if the mind, on 
 account of this kind of value in a form, esteem it 
 beautiful, though on all other considerations it be not 
 so ; the eye grows insensible of its want of beauty, 
 and even begins to be pleased, especially after it has 
 been a considerable time acquainted with it. 
 
 It is well known on the other hand, that forms of 
 great elegance often disgust the eye by being impro- 
 perly applied. 1 hus twisted columns are undoubtedly 
 ornamental; but as they convey an idea of weakness, 
 they always displease, when they are improperly made 
 
 VOL. II. g 
 
 H 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 use of as supporters to any thing that is bulky, or ap- 
 pears heavy. 
 
 The bulks and proportions of objects are governed 
 by fitness and propriety. It is this that has esta- 
 blished the size and proportion of chairs, tables, and 
 all sorts of utensils and furniture. It is this that has 
 fixed the dimensions of pillars, arches, &c. for the 
 support of great weight, and so regulated all the 
 orders in architecture, as well as the sizes of windows 
 and doors, &c. Thus though a building were ever so 
 large, the steps of the stairs, the seats in the windows 
 must be continued of their usual heights, or they 
 would lose their beauty with their fitness: and in ship- 
 building the dimensions of every part are confined 
 and regulated by fitness for sailing. When a vessel 
 sails well, the sailors always call her a beauty; the 
 two ideas have such a connexion! 
 
 The general dimensions of the parts of the human 
 body are adapted thus to the uses they are designed 
 for. The trunk is the most capacious on account of 
 the quantity of its contents, and the thigh is larger 
 than the leg, because it has both the leg and foot to 
 move, the leg only the foot. See. 
 
 ; Fitness of parts also constitutes and distinguishes 
 in a great measure the characteristics of objects; as 
 for example, the race-horse differs as much in quality, 
 or character, from the war-horse, as to its figure, as 
 the Hercules from the Mercury. 
 
 The race-horse, having all its parts of such dimen- 
 sions as best fit the purposes of speed, acquires on that 
 account a consistent character of one sort of beauty. 
 To illustrate this, suppose the beautiful head and 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 gracefully-turned neck of the war-horse were placed 
 on the shoulders of the race-horse, instead of his own 
 awkward straight one; it would disgust, and deform, 
 instead of adding beauty; because the judgment 
 would condemn it as unfit. 
 
 The Hercules, by Glicon*, hath all its parts finely 
 fitted for the purposes of the utmost strength, the tex- 
 ture of the human form will bear. The back, breast 
 and shoulders have huge bones, and muscles adequate 
 to the supposed active strength of its upper parts; but 
 as less strength was required for the lower parts, the 
 judicious sculptor, contrary to all modern rule of en- 
 larging every part in proportion, lessened the size of 
 the muscles gradually down towards the feet; and for 
 the same reason made the neck larger in circumfer- 
 ence than any part of the head; otherwise the figure 
 ould have been burdened with an unnecessary 
 weight, which would have been a drawback from his 
 strength, and in consequence of that, from its cha- 
 racteristic beauty. 
 
 These seeming faults, which show the superior P. 
 anatomical knowledge as well as judgment of the an- 
 cients, are not to be found in the leaden imitations of 
 it near Hyde Park. These saturnine geniuses imagined 
 they knew how to correct such apparent disproportions. 
 
 These few examples may be sufficient to give an 
 idea of what I mean, (and would have understood) by 
 the beauty of fitness, or propriety. 
 
 * Fig. 3. p. 1 . 
 
 t Fig. 4 . p. i. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 OF VARIETY. 
 
 How great a share variety has in producing beauty 
 may be seen in the ornamental part of nature. 
 
 The shapes and colours of plants, flowers, leaves, 
 the paintings in butterflies wings, shells, &c. seem of 
 little other intended use, than that of entertaining 
 the eye with the pleasure of variety. 
 
 All the senses delight in it, and equally are aveise 
 to sameness. The ear is as much offended with one 
 even continued note, as the eye is with being fixed to 
 a point, or to the view of a dead wall. 
 
 Yet when the eye is glutted with a succession of 
 variety, it finds relief in a certain degree of sameness; 
 and even plain space becomes agreeable, and pio- 
 perly introduced, and contrasted with variety, adds 
 to it more variety. 
 
 1 7 I mean here, and every where indeed, a composed 
 variety; for variety uncomposed, and without design, 
 
 ; s confusion and deformity. 
 
 Observe, that a gradual lessening is a kind of 
 varying that gives beauty. The pyramid diminishing 
 from its basis to its point, and the scroll or voluta, 
 gradually lessening to its center, are beautiful forms. 
 So also objects that only seem to do so, though m 
 fact they do not, have equal beauty; thus perspective 
 views, and particularly those of buildings, are always 
 pleasing to the eye. 
 
ANALYSIS 0? BEAUTY. 
 
 a he little ship, between figure 47 and 88, plate 1. 
 supposed moving along the shore even with the eye, 
 might have its top and bottom bounded by two line: 
 at equal distances all the way, as A; but if the ship put 
 out to sea, these lines at top and bottom would seem 
 to vary and meet each other by degrees, as B, in th-- 
 point C, which is in the line, where the sky and water 
 meets, called the horizon. Thus much of the manner 
 of perspective adding beauty, by seem'ngly varying 
 otherwise unvaried forays, I thought, might be ac- 
 ceptable to those, wdio have not learnt perspective. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 # 
 
 OF UNIFORMITY, REGULARITY, OR 
 SYMMETRY. 
 
 P.18 It may be imagined that the greatest part of the 
 effects of beauty results from the symmetry of parts 
 in the object, which is beautiful : but I am very well 
 persuaded, this prevailing notion will soon appear to 
 have little or no foundation. 
 
 It may indeed have properties of greater conse- 
 quence, such as propriety, fitness, and use ; and yet 
 but little serve the purposes of pleasing the eye, 
 merely on the score of beauty. 
 
 We have, indeed, in our nature a love of imitation 
 from our infancy, and the eye is often entertained, as 
 well as surprised, with mimicry, and delighted with 
 the exactness of counterparts: but then this always 
 gives way to its superior love of variety, and soon, 
 grows tiresome. 
 
 If the uniformity of figures, parts or lines'were 
 truly the chief cause of beauty, the more exactly uni- 
 form their appearances were kept, the more pleasure 
 the eye would receive : b n this is so far from being 
 the case, that when the mind has been once satisfied, 
 that the parts answer one another with so exact, an 
 uniformity, as to preserve to tlw who le the chat -ter 
 of fitness to stand, to move, to sink l>o sv : m, to fly, 
 &c~ without losing the balance; me $ye is rejoiced 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 to see the object turned, and shifted, so as to vary p. 19 
 these uniform appearances. 
 
 Thus the profile of most objects, as well as faces, 
 are rather more pleasing than their full fronts. 
 
 Whence it is clear, the pleasure does not arise 
 from seeing the exact resemblance, which one side 
 bears the other, but from the knowledge that they do 
 so on account of fitness, with design, and for use. For 
 when the head of a fine woman is turned a little to 
 one side, which takes off from the exact similarity of 
 the two halves of the face, and somewhat reclining, so 
 varying still more from the straight and parallel lines 
 of a formal front face: it is always looked upon as 
 most pleasing. This is accordingly said to be a 
 graceful air of the head. 
 
 It is a constant rule in composition in painting to 
 avoid regularity. When we view a building, or any 
 other object in life, we have it in our power, by shift- 
 ing the ground, to take that view of it which pleases 
 us best ; and in consequence of this, the painter, if he 
 is left to his choice, takes it on the angle rather than 
 in front, as most agreeable to the eye ; because the 
 regularity of the lines is taken away by their running 
 into perspective, without losing the idea of fitness : 
 and when he is of necessity obliged to give the front 
 of a building, with all its equalities and parallelisms, 
 he generally breaks (as it is termed) such disagreeable 
 appearances, by throwing a tree before it, or the 
 shadow of an imaginary cloud, or some other object 0 
 that may answer the same purpose of adding variety, 
 which is the same with taking away uniformity. 
 
 If uniform objects were agreeable, why is there 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 such care taken to contrast, and vary all the limbs of 
 a statue ? 
 
 The picture of Henry the eighth *, would be pre- 
 ferable to the finely contrasted figures of Guido or 
 Correggio ; and the Antinous’s easy sway f , must 
 submit to the stiff and straight figure of the dancing 
 master J j and the uniform outlines of the muscles in 
 the figure § taken from Albert Durar’s book of pro- 
 portions, would have more taste in them than those 
 hi the famous part of an antique |f figure from which 
 Michael Angelo acquired so much of his skill in grace. 
 
 In short, whatever appears to be fit, and proper to 
 answer great purposes, ever satisfies the mind, and 
 pleases on that account. Uniformity is of this kind. 
 We find it necessary, in some degree, to give the idea 
 of rest and motion, without the possibility of falling. 
 But when any such purposes can be as well effected 
 by more irregular parts, the eye is always better 
 pleased on the account of variety. 
 
 How pleasingly is the idea of firmness in standing 
 conveyed to the eye by the three elegant claws of a 
 table, the three feet of a tea- lamp, or the celebrated 
 tripod of the ancients ? 
 
 Thus you see regularity, uniformity, or symmetry, 
 please only as they serve to give the idea of fitness. 
 
 * Fig. 72* P- 2 * + Fig. & P* J Fi g- 7 • p- 1. 
 
 § Fig. 55 . p. 1. H Fig. 54. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OF SIMPLICITY, OR DISTINCTNESS. 
 
 Simplicity, without variety, is wholly insipid, and P * 21 
 at best does only not displease ; but when variety is 
 joined to it, then it pleases, because it enhances the 
 pleasure of variety, by giving the eye the power of 
 enjoying it with ease. 
 
 There is no object composed of straight lines, that 
 has so much variety, with so few parts, as the pyramid:, 
 and it is its constantly varyingfrom its base gradually 
 upwards in every situation of the eye, (without giving 
 the idea of sameness, as the eye moves round it) that 
 has made it been esteemed in all ages, in preference 
 to the cone, which in all views appears nearly the 
 same, being varied only by light and shade. 
 
 Steeples, monuments, and most compositions in 
 painting and sculpture are kept within the form of 
 the cone or pyramid, as the most eligible boundary 
 on account of their simplicity and variety. For the 
 same reason equestrian statues please more than the 
 single figures. 
 
 The authors (for there were three concerned in 
 the work) of as fine a group of figures in sculpture as 
 ever was made, either by ancients or moderns, (I 
 mean Laocoon and his two sons) chose to be guilty of 
 the absurdity of making the sons of half the father’s 
 size, though they have every other mark of being de« P. 22 
 
analysis of beauty. 
 
 signed for men, rather than not bring their composi- 
 tion within the boundary of a. pyramid*. Thus if a 
 judicious workman were employed to make a case of 
 wood, for preserving it from the injuries of the wea- 
 ther, or for the convenience of carriage; he would 
 soon find by his eye, the whole composition would 
 readily fit and be easily packed up, in one of a pyra- 
 midal form. 
 
 Steeples, &c. have generally been varied from the 
 cone, to take off from their too great simplicity, and 
 instead of their circular bases, polygons of different, 
 but even numbers of sides, have been substituted, I 
 suppose for the sake of uniformity. These foims 
 however may be said “to have been chosen by tlie 
 architect, with a view to the cone, as the whole com- 
 position might be bounded by it. 
 
 Yet, in my mind, odd numbers have the advan- 
 tage over the even ones, as variety is more pleasing 
 than uniformity, where the same end is answered by 
 both; as in this case, where both polygons may be 
 circumscribed by the same circle, or in other words, 
 both compositions bounded by the same cone. 
 
 And I cannot help observing, that nature in ali 
 her works of fancy, if I may be allowed the expres- 
 sion, where it seems immaterial whether even or odd 
 numbers of divisions were preferred, most frequently 
 employs the odd ; as for example, in the indenting 
 of leaves, flowers, blossoms, &c. 
 
 3 The oval also, on account of its variety with sim- 
 plicity, is as much to be preferred to the circle, as the 
 
 * Fig. 9. T. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS 01* BEAUTY^ 
 
 triangle to the square, or the pyramid to the cube; and 
 this figure lessened at one end, like the egg, thereby 
 being more varied, is singled out by the author of all 
 variety, to bound the features of a beautiful face. 
 
 When the. oval has a little more of the cone added 
 to it than the egg has, it becomes more distinctly a 
 compound of those two most simple varied figures. 
 This is the shape of the pine-apple*, which nature has 
 particularly distinguished by bestowing ornaments of 
 rich mosaic upon it, composed of contrasted serpen- 
 tine lines, and the pips f, as the gardeners call them, 
 are still varied by two cavities and one round emi- 
 nence in each. 
 
 Could a more elegant simple form than this have 
 been found, it is probable that judicious architect Sir 
 Christopher Wren, would not have chosen the pine- 
 apples for the two terminations of the sides of the 
 front of St. Paul’s: and perhaps the globe and cross, 
 though a finely varied figure, which terminates the 
 dome, would not have had the preference of situation, 
 if a religious motive had not been the occasion. 
 
 Thus we see simplicity gives beauty even to va- 
 riety, as it makes it more cash/ understood, and 
 should be ever studied in the works of art, as it serves 
 to prevent perplexity in forms of elegance ; as will 
 be shewn in the next chapter 
 
 **V 10 . T. it. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 OF INTRICACY. 
 
 p, 24 The active mind i> ever bent to be employed. Pur- 
 suing is the business of our lives ; and even abstracted 
 from any other view gives pleasure. Every arising 
 difficulty, that for a while attends and interrupts the 
 pursuit, gives a s wt of spring to the mind, enhances 
 Pc pleasure, and makes what would else be toil and 
 abom- ecom. sport and recreation. 
 
 Wherein would consist the joys of hunting, shoot- 
 ing, fishing, au^ cany other favourite diversions, 
 without the frequent turns and difficulties, and dis- 
 appointments, that are daily met with in the pursuit? 
 -—how joyless does the sportsman return when the 
 hare has not had fair play ? how lively, and in spirits, 
 even when an old cunning one has baffled, and ou 
 run the dog.. ! 
 
 This love of pursuit, merely as pursuit, is im^antod 
 in our natures, and designed, no douDt, for necessary 
 and useful purposes. Animals have it evidently by 
 instinct. The hound dislikes the game he so eagerly 
 pursues ; and ev<.n cats will risk the losing of their 
 prey to ( base it over again It is a ple&sing labour 
 of the mine to solve the most difficult problems ; alle- 
 gories and riddles, trifling as they are, afford the mind 
 amusement : and with what delight does it follow the 
 well-connected thread of a pi - , or novel which eve 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 increases as the plot thickens, and ends most pleased, p.25 
 when that is most distinctly unravelled? 
 
 The eye hath this sort of enjoyment in winding 
 walks, and serpentine rivers, and all sorts of objects, 
 whose forms, as we shall see hereafter, are composed 
 principally of what, I call, the waving and serpentine 
 lines. 
 
 Intricacy in form, therefore, I shall define to be 
 that peculiarity in the lines, which compose it, that 
 leads the eye a wanton kind of chase , and from the plea- 
 sure that gives the mind, intitles it to the name ot 
 beautiful : and it may be justly said, that the cause 
 of the idea of grace more immediately resides in this 
 principle, than in the other five, except variety ; 
 which indeed includes this, and all the others. 
 
 That this observation may appear to have a real 
 foundation in nature, every help will be required, 
 which the reader himself can call to his assistance, as 
 well as what will here be suggested to him. 
 
 To set this matter in somewhat a clearer light, the 
 familiar instance of a common jack, with a circular 
 fly, may serve our purpose better than a more elegant 
 form : preparatory to which, let the figure * be con- 
 sidered, which represents the eye, at a common read- 
 ing distance viewing a row of letters, but fixed with 
 most attention to the middle letter A. 
 
 Now as we read, a ray may be supposed to be 
 drawn from the center of the eye to that letter it 
 looks at first, and to move successively with it from p.26 
 letter to letter, the whole length of the line : but if the 
 
 * Fig. 14. T. p. 1 . 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 eye stops at any particular letter. A, to observe it 
 more than the rest, these other letters will grow more 
 and more imperfect to the sight, the farther they are 
 situated on either side of A, as is expressed in the 
 figure ; and when we endeavour to see all the letters 
 in a line equally perfect at one view, as it were, this 
 imaginary ray must course it to and fro with great 
 celerity. 1 hus though the eye, strictly speaking, can 
 only pay due attention to these letters in succession, 
 yet the amazing ease and swiftness, with which it per- 
 forms this task, enables us to see considerable spaces 
 with sufficient satisfaction at one sudden view. 
 
 Hence, we shall always suppose some such prin- 
 cipal ray moving along with the eye, and tracing out 
 the parts of every form, we mean to examine in the 
 most perfect manner: and when we would follow with 
 exactness the course any body takes, that is in motion, 
 this ray is always to be supposed to move with the 
 body. 
 
 In this manner of attending to forms, they will 
 be found whether at rest, or in motion, to give move- 
 ment to this imaginarjr ray; or, more properly 
 speaking, to the eye itself, affecting it thereby nmre 
 or less pleasingly, according to their different shapes 
 and motions. Thus, for example, in the instance of 
 the jack, whether the eye (with this imaginary ray) 
 P.27 moves slowly down the line, to which the weight is 
 fixed, or attends to the slow motion of the weight 
 itself, the mind is equally fatigued : and whether it 
 swiftly courses round the circular rim of the flyer, 
 when the jack stands; or nimbly follows one point in 
 its circularity whilst it is whirling about, w r e are 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 almost equally made giddy by it. But our sensation 
 differs much from either of these unpleasant ones, 
 when we observe the curling worm, into which the 
 worm-wheel is fixed* : for this is always pleasing, 
 either at rest or in motion, and whether that motion 
 is slow or quick. 
 
 That it is accounted so, when it is at rest , appears 
 by the ribbon, twisted round a stick (represented on 
 one side of this figure) which has been a long-esta- 
 blished ornament in the carvings of frames, chimnejr- 
 pieces, and door-cases ; and called by the carvers the 
 stick and ribbon ornament: and when the stick 
 through the middle is omitted, it is called the ribbon 
 edge ; both to be seen in almost every house of 
 fashion. 
 
 But the pleasure it gives the eye is still more lively 
 when in motion, I never can forget my frequent 
 strong attention to it, when I was very young, and 
 that its beguiling movement gave me the same kind 
 of sensation then, which I since have felt at seeing a 
 country-dance ; though perhaps the latter might be 
 somewhat more engaging ; particularly when my e3 r e 
 eagerly pursued a favourite dancer, through all the 
 windings of the figure, who then was bewitching to 
 the sight, as the imaginary ray, we were speaking of, p,2g 
 was dancing with her all the time. 
 
 This single example might be sufficient i. :> explain 
 what I mean by the beauty of a composed intricacy of 
 form ; and how it may be said, with propriety, to lead 
 the eye a kind of chase. 
 
 * Fig. 15. T. p. i. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 But the hair of the head is another very obvious 
 instance, which, being designed chiefly as an orna- 
 ment, proves more or less so, according to the form it 
 naturally takes, or is put into by art. The most ami- 
 able in itself is the flowing curl and the many wav- 
 ing and contrasted turns of naturally intermingling 
 locks ravish the eye with the pleasure of the pursuit, 
 especially when they are put in motion by a gentle 
 breeze. The poet knows it, as well as the painter, 
 and has described the wanton ringlets waving in the 
 wind. 
 
 And yet to shew how excess ought to be avoided 
 in intricacy, as well as in every other principle, the 
 very same head of hair, whisped, and matted together 
 would make the most disagreeable figure ; because 
 the eye would be perplexed, and at a fault, and un- 
 able to trace such a confused number of uncomposed 
 and entangled lines ; and yet notwithstanding this, 
 the present fashion the ladies have gone into, of wear- 
 ing a part of the hair of their heads braided together 
 from behind, like intertwisted serpents, arising thick- 
 est from the bottom, lessening as it is brought for- 
 P.29. ward, and naturally conforming to the shape of the 
 rest of the hair it is pinned over, is extremely pic- 
 turesque. Their thus interlacing the hair in distinct 
 varied quantities is an artful way of preserving as 
 much of intricacy, as is beautiful. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 OF QUANTITY. 
 
 T 
 
 Forms of magnitude, although ill-shaped, will how- 
 ever, on account of their vastness, draw our attention 
 and raise our admiration. 
 
 Huge shapeless rocks have a pleasing kind of hor- 
 ror in them, and the wide ocean awes us with its vast 
 contents; but when forms of beauty are presented 
 to the eye in large quantities, the pleasure increases 
 on the mind, and horror is softened into reverence. 
 
 How solemn and pleasing are groves of high 
 grown trees, great churches, and palaces? has not 
 even a single spreading oak, grown to maturity, ac- 
 quired the character of the venerable oak ? 
 
 Windsor castle is a noble instance of the effect of 
 quantity. The hugeness of its few distinct parts strikes 
 the eye with uncommon grandeur at a distance, as 
 well as nigh. It is quantity, with simplicity, which 
 makes it one of the finest objects in the kingdom, 
 though void of any regular order of architecture. 
 
 The Fa5ade of the old Louvre at Paris is also re- p. 
 markable for its quantity. This fragment is allowed 
 to be the finest piece of building in France, though 
 there are many equal, if not superior, to it in all other 
 respects, except that of quantity. 
 
 Who does not feel a pleasure when he pictures in 
 his mind the immense buildings which once adorned' 
 
 C 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 P.31 
 
 the lower Egypt, by imagining the whole complete, 
 and ornamented with colossal statues ? 
 
 Elephants and whales please us with their un- 
 wieldy greatness. Even large personages, merely 
 for being so, command respect: nay, quantity 
 
 is an addition to the person which often supplies 
 a deficiency in his figure. 
 
 The robes of state are always made large and full, 
 
 because they give a grandeur of appearance, suitable 
 
 ■ 
 
 to the offices of the greatest distinction. The judge’s 
 robes have an awful dignity given them by the quan- 
 tity of their contents, and when the train is held up, 
 there is a noble waving line descending from the 
 shoulders of the judge to the hand of his train-bearer. 
 So when the train is gently thrown aside, it generally 
 falls into a great variet}^ of folds, which again employ 
 the eye, and fix its attention. 
 
 The grandeur of the Eastern dress, which so far 
 surpasses the European, depends as much on quan- 
 tity as on costliness. 
 
 In a word, it is quantity which adds greatness 
 to grace. But then excess is to be avoided, or 
 quantity will become clumsy, heavy, or ridiculous. 
 
 The full-bottom wig, like the lion’s mane, hath 
 something noble in it, and adds not only dignity, but 
 sagacity to the countenance * : but were it to be worn 
 as large again, it would become a burlesque; or was 
 an improper person to put it on, it would then too be 
 ridiculous. 
 
 When improper, or incompatible excesses meet, 
 they always excite laughter ; more especially when the 
 
 * Fig. id. p. i. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 forms of those excesses are inelegant, that is, when 
 they are composed of unvaried lines. 
 
 For example, the figure referred to in the mar- 
 gin*, represents a fat grown face of a man, with an 
 infant’s cap on, and the rest of the child’s dress 
 stuffed, and so well placed under his chin, as to seem 
 to belong to that face. This is a contrivance I have 
 seen at Bartholomew-fair, and always occasioned a 
 roar of laughter. The next j* is of the same kind, a 
 child with a man’s wig and cap on. In these you see 
 the ideas of youth and age jumbled together, in forms 
 without beauty. 
 
 So a Roman general J, dressed by a modern tai- 
 lor and peruke-maker for tragedy, is a comic figure. 
 
 — The dresses of the times are mixed, and the lines 
 which compose them are straight or only round. 
 
 Dancing-masters, representing deities, in their 
 grand ballets on the stage, are no Jess ridiculous. 
 
 See the Jupiter §. 
 
 Nevertheless custom and fashion will, in length of 
 time, reconcile almost every absurdity whatever, to 
 the eye, or make it over-looked. 
 
 It is from the same joining of opposite ideas that P.32 
 makes us laugh at the owl and the ass, for under 
 their awkward forms, they seem to be gravely musing 
 and meditating, as if they had the sense of human 
 beings. 
 
 A monkey too whose figure, as well as most of 
 
 * Fig. 17. T. p. 1. t Pig. 18. T. p. J. i Fig. lp.T.p. 1. . 
 
 § Fig. 20. T.p. I. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 his actions, so oddly resembles the human, is also very 
 comical ; and he becomes more so when a coat is pul 
 on him, as he then becomes a greater burlesque on 
 the man. 
 
 There is something extremely odd and comical 
 in the rough shock dog. The ideas here connected 
 are the inelegant and inanimate figure of a thrum 
 mop, or muff, and that of a sensible, friendly animal; 
 which is as much a burlesque of the dog, as the mon- 
 key when his cCat is on, is of the man. 
 
 What can it be but this inelegance of the figure, 
 joined with impropriety, that makes a whole audience 
 burst into laughter, when they see the miller’s sack, 
 in Dr. Faustus, jumping cross the stage ? was a well- 
 shaped vase to do the same, it would equally surprise, 
 but not make everybody laugh, because the elegance 
 of the form would prevent it. 
 
 For when the forms, thus joined together, are each 
 of them elegant, and composed of agreeable lines, 
 they will be so far from making us laugh, that they 
 will become entertaining to the imagination, as well 
 as pleasing to the eye. The sphinx and siren have been 
 admired and accounted ornamental in all ages. The 
 33 former represents strength and beauty joined ; the 
 latter, beauty and swiftness in pleasing and graceful 
 forms. 
 
 The griffin, a modern hieroglyphic, signifying 
 strength and swiftness, united in the two noble forms 
 of the lion and eagle, is a grand object. So the 
 antique centaur hath a savage greatness as well as 
 beauty. 
 
 These may be said to be monsters, it’s true, but 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 then they convey such noble ideas, and have such 
 elegance in their forms as greatly compensates for 
 their being unnaturally joined together. 
 
 I shall mention but one more instance of this sort, 
 and that the most extraordinary of all, which is an 
 infant’s head of about two years old, with a pair of 
 duck’s wings placed under its chin, supposed always 
 to be flying about, and singing psalms *. 
 
 A painter’s representation of heaven would be 
 nothing without swarms of these little inconsistent 
 objects, flying about, or perching on the clouds ; and 
 yet there is something so agreeable in their form, 
 that the eye is reconciled and overlooks the absurdity, 
 and we find them in the carving and painting of al- 
 most every church. St. Paul’s is full of them. 
 
 As the foregoing principles are the very ground- 
 work of what is to follow ; we will, in order to make 
 them the more familiar to us, just speak of them in 
 the way they are daily put in practice, and may be 
 geen, in every dress that is worn ; and we shall find P- 34 
 not only that ladies of fashion, but that women of 
 every rank, who are said to dress prettily, have known 
 their force, without considering them as principles. 
 
 Fitness is first considered by them, as knowing 
 that their dresses should be useful, commodious, and 
 fitted to their different ages ; or rich, airy, and loose, 
 agreeable to the character they would give out to the 
 public by their dress. 
 
 II. Uniformity is chiefly complied with in dress 
 on account of fitness, and seems to be extended not 
 
 * Fig- 22. R. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS OF EEAUTY. 
 
 much farther than dressing both arms alike, and 
 having the shoes of the same colour. For when any 
 part of dress has not the excuse of fitness or propriety 
 for its uniformity of parts, the ladies always call it 
 Jormal. 
 
 For which reason, when they are at liberty to 
 make what shapes they please in ornamenting their 
 persons, those of the best taste chuse the irregular as 
 the more engaging ; for example, no two patches are 
 ever chosen of the same size, or placed at the same 
 height ; nor a single one in the middle of a feature, 
 unless it be to hide a blemish. So a single feather, 
 flower, or jewel is generally placed on one side of the 
 head ; or if ever put in front, it is turned awry to 
 avoid formality. 
 
 It was once the fashion to have two curls of equal 
 size, stuck at the same height close upon the fore- 
 35 head, which probably took its rise from seeing the 
 pretty effect of curls falling loosely over the face. 
 
 A lock of hair falling thus cross the temples, and 
 by that means breaking the regularity of the oval, has 
 an effect too alluring to be strictly decent, as is very 
 well known to the loose and lowest class of women : 
 but being paired in so stiff a manner, as they formerly 
 were, they lost the desired effect, and ill deserved the 
 name of favourites, 
 
 III. Variety in dress, both as to colour and form, 
 is the constant study of the young and gay — But 
 then, 
 
 IV. That taudriness may not destroy the proper 
 effect of variety, simplicity is called in to restrain its 
 superfluities, and is often very artfully made use of 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 to set native beauty off to more advantage. I have 
 not known any set of people that have more excelled 
 in this principle of simplicity, or plainness, than the 
 Quakers. 
 
 V. Quantity, or fulness in dress has ever been a 
 darling principle; so that sometimes those parts of 
 dress, which would properly admit of being extended 
 to a great degree, have been carried into such strange 
 excesses, that in the reign of Queen Elizabeth a law 
 was made to put a stop to the growth of ruffs : nor is 
 the enormous size of the hoops at present, a less 
 sufficient proof of the extraordinary love of quantity P. 3 6 
 in dress, beyond that of convenience or elegance. 
 
 VI. The beauty of intricacy lies in contriving 
 winding shapes, such as the antique lappets belonging 
 to the head of the sphinx # , or as the modern lappet 
 when it is brought before. Every part of dress, that 
 will admit of the application of this principle, has an 
 air (as it is termed) given to it thereby; and although 
 it requires dexterity and a taste to execute these 
 windings well, we find them daily practised with 
 success. 
 
 This principle also recommends modesty in dress, 
 to keep up our expectations, and not suffer them to 
 be too soon gratified. Therefore the body and limbs 
 should all be covered, and little more than certain 
 hints be given of them through the cloathing. 
 
 The face indeed will bear a constant view, yet 
 always entertain and keep our curiosity awake, with- 
 out the assistance either of a mask, or veil ; because 
 
 * Fig. 21. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 vast variety of changing circumstances keeps the 
 eye and the mind in constant play, in following the 
 numberless turns of expression it is capable of. How 
 soon does a face that wants expression grow insipid, 
 though it be ever so pretty? — The rest of the body, 
 not having these advantages in common with the face, 
 would soon satiate the eye, were it to be as constantly 
 exposed, nor would it have more effect than a marble 
 statue. But when it is artfully cloathed and deco- 
 P. 3 7 rated, the mind at every turn resumes its imaginary 
 pursuits concerning it. Thus, if I may be allowed a 
 simile, the angler chooses not to see the fish he angles 
 for, until it is fairly caught. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 OF LINES. 
 
 It may be remembered that in the introduction, the 
 reader is desired to consider the surfaces of objects 
 as so many shells of lines, closely connected together, 
 which idea of them it will now be proper to call to 
 mind, for the better comprehending not only this, 
 but all the following chapters on composition. 
 
 The constant use made of lines by mathematicians, 
 as well as painters, in describing things upon paper, 
 hath established a conception of them, as if actually 
 existing on the real forms themselves. This likewise 
 we suppose, and shall set out with saying in general 
 — That the straight line, and the circular line, together 
 with their different combinations, and variations, &c. 
 bound and circumscribe all visible objects whatsoever, 
 thereby producing such endless variety of forms, as 
 lays us under the necessity of dividing, and distin- 
 guishing them into general classes; leaving the in- 
 tervening mixtures of appearances to the reader’s 
 own farther observation. 
 
 First,* objects composed of straight lines only, 
 as the cube, or of circular lines, as the sphere, or of 
 both together, as cylinders and cones, &c. 
 
 Secondly, f those composed of straight lines, cir- P. 38 
 
 * Fig. 23. T. p. 1. 
 
 t Fig- 24. T. p. i. 
 
ANALYSIS OF EEAUTY. 
 
 cular lines, and of lines partly straight, and partly 
 circular, as the capitals of columns, and vases, &c. 
 
 Thirdly, * those composed of all the former to- 
 gether with an addition of the waving line, which is a 
 line more productive of beauty than any of the former > 
 as in flowers, and other forms of the ornamental kind: 
 for which reason we shall call it the line of beauty. 
 
 Fourthly, j* those composed of all the former to- 
 gether with the serpentine line, as the human form, 
 which line hath the power of superadding grace to 
 beauty. Note, forms of most grace have least of the 
 straight line in them. 
 
 It. is to be observed, that straight lines vary only 
 in length, and therefore are least ornamental. 
 
 That curved lines as they can be varied in their 
 degrees of curvature as well as in their lengths, begin 
 on that account to be ornamental. 
 
 That straight and curved lines joined, being a 
 compound line, vary more than curves alone, and so 
 become somewhat more ornamental. 
 
 That the waving line, or line of beauty, varying 
 still more, being composed of two curves contrasted, 
 becomes still more ornamental and pleasing, insomuch 
 that the hand takes a lively movement in making it 
 with pen or pencil. 
 
 And that the serpentine line, by its waving and 
 winding at the same time different ways, leads the 
 eye in a pleasing manner along the continuity of its 
 p. 39 variety, if I may be allowed the expression ; and 
 which by its twisting so many different ways, may be 
 
 * Fig. 25. T. p. 1. 
 
 f Fig. 2 6. T. p. I. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 said to inclose (though but a single line) varied con- 
 tents; and therefore all its variety cannot be express- 
 ed on paper by one continued line, without the assist- 
 ance of the imagination, or the help of a figure; see* 
 where that sort of proportioned, winding line, which 
 will hereafter be called the precise serpentine line, or 
 line of grace , is represented by a fine wire, properly 
 twisted round the elegant and varied figure of a cone. 
 
 * Fig. 26. T. p. 1. 
 
CH APTER VIII. 
 
 OF WHAT SORT OF PARTS, AND HOW 
 PLEASING FORMS ARE COMPOSED. 
 
 Thus far having endeavoured to open as large an 
 idea as possible of the power of varietjr, by having 
 partly shewn that those lines which have most variety 
 in themselves, contribute most towards the produc- 
 tion of beauty; we will next shew how lines may be 
 put together, so as to make pleasing figures or com- 
 positions. 
 
 In order to be as clear as possible, we will give 
 a few examples of the most familiar and easy sort, and 
 let them serve as a clue to be pursued in the imagi- 
 nation : I say in the imagination chiefly, for the 
 following method is not meant always to be put in 
 practice, or followed in every case, for indeed that 
 p *4o could hardly be, and in some it would be ridicu- 
 lously losing time if it could-— Yet there may be 
 cases where it may be necessary to follow this method 
 minutely ; as for example, in architecture. 
 
 I am thoroughly convinced in myself, however it 
 may startle some, that a completely new and harmo- 
 nious order of architecture in all its parts might be 
 produced by the following method of composing, 
 but hardly with certainty without it; and this I am 
 the more apt to believe, as upon the strictest ex- 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 Jimination, those four orders of the ancients, which 
 are so well established for beauty and true propor- 
 tion, perfectly agree with the scheme we shall now 
 lay down. 
 
 This way of composing pleasing forms, is to be 
 accomplished by making choice of variety of lines 
 as to their shapes and dimensions ; and then again 
 by varying their situations with each other, by all 
 the different ways that can be conceived : and at 
 the same time (if a solid figure be the subject 6 ! f the 
 composition) the contents or space that is to be in- 
 closed within those lines, must be duly considered and 
 varied too, as much as possible, with propriety. In 
 a word, it may be said, the art of composing well is 
 the art of varying well. It is not expected that this 
 should at first be perfectly comprehended, yet I be- 
 lieve it will be made sufficiently clear by the help of 
 the examples following : 
 
 The figure* represents the simple and pleasing 
 figure of a bell ; this shell, as w 7 e may call it, is com- 
 posed of waving lines, encompassing or bounding p.41 
 within it, the varied space marked with dotted lines : 
 here you see the variety of the space within is equal 
 to the beauty of its form without, and if the space 
 or contents were to be more varied, the outward form 
 would have still more beauty. 
 
 As a proof, see a composition of more parts, atnd 
 a way by which those parts may be put together by 
 a certain method of varying: i. e. how the one half of 
 
 * Fig. 29. T. p. 1, 
 
H 
 
 ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 the socket of the candlestick A *, may be varied as the 
 other half B. Let a convenient and fit height be first 
 given for a candlestick, as -j*, then let the necessary 
 size of the socket be determined as at (a) J after which, 
 in order to give it a better form, let every distance or 
 length of divisions differ from the length of the socket, 
 as also vary in their distances from each other, as is 
 seen by the points on the line under the socket (a) ; 
 that is let any two points signifying distance , be placed 
 farthest from any other two near points, observing 
 always that there should be one distance or part 
 larger than all the rest ; and you will readily see that 
 variety could not be so complete without it. — In like 
 manner, let the horizontal distances (always keeping 
 within the bounds of fitness) be varied both as to dis- 
 tances and situations, as on the opposite side of the 
 same figure (b) ; then unite and join all the several 
 distances into a complete shell, by applying several 
 parts of curves and straight lines ; varying them also 
 by making them of different sizes, as (c) : and apply 
 them as at (d) in the same figure, and you have 
 p. 42 the candlestick §, and with still more variations on 
 the other side. If you divide the candlestick into 
 many more parts, it will appear crowded, as || it will 
 want distinctness of form on a near view, and lose 
 the effect of variety at a distance : this the eye will 
 easily distinguish on removing pretty far from it. 
 
 Simplicity in composition, or distinctness of parts. 
 
 * Fig. 30. T. p. 1.' f Fig. 31. T. p. l. % Fig. 32. 
 
 § Fig. 33. T. p. 1. [J Fig. 34. T. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 is ever to be attended to, as it is one part of beauty, as 
 has been already said : but that what I mean by dis- 
 tinctness of parts in this place may be better under- 
 stood, it will be proper to explain it by an example. 
 
 When you would compose an object of a great 
 variety of parts, let several of those parts be distin- 
 guished by themselves, by their remarkable difference 
 from the next ad joining, so as to make each of them as 
 it were one well-shaped quantity or part, as is marked 
 by the dotted lines in figure* (these are like w r hat they 
 call passages in music, and in writing paragraphs) by 
 which means, not only the whole, but even every 
 part, will be better understood by the eye : for con- 
 fusion will hereby be avoided when the object is seen 
 near, and the shapes will seem well varied, though 
 fewer in number, at a distance ; as figure j* supposed 
 to be the same as the former, but removed so far off 
 that the eye loses sight of the smaller members. 
 
 The parsley-leaf J, in like manner, from whence a 
 beautiful foliage in ornament was originally taken, is 
 divided into three distinct passages ; which are again 
 divided into other odd numbers ; and this method is p # 43 
 observed, for the generality, in the leaves of all plants 
 and flowers, the most simple of which are the trefoil 
 and cinquefoil. 
 
 Light and shade, and colours, also must have their 
 distinctness to make objects completely beautiful ; 
 but of these in their proper places — only I will give 
 you a general idea of what is here meant by the 
 
 * Fig. 35. T. p. l . f F'g- 36. T. p. 1. % Fig. 37. T. p. t. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 beauty of distinctness of forms, lights, shades, and 
 colours, by putting you in mind of the reverse effects 
 in all them together. 
 
 Observe the well-composed nosegay how it loses 
 all its distinctness when it dies; each leaf and flower 
 then shrivels and loses its distinct shape; and the firm 
 colours fade into a kind of sameness: so that the whole 
 gradually becomes a confused heap. 
 
 If the general parts of objects are preserved large 
 at first, they will always admit of farther enrichments 
 of a small kind, but then they must be so small as not 
 to confound the general masses or quantities. — Thus 
 you see variety is a check upon itself when overdone, 
 which of course begets what is called a petit taste and 
 a confusion to the eye. 
 
 It will not be amiss next to shew what effects an 
 object or two will have that are put together without, 
 or contrary to these rules of composing variety. Fi- 
 gure * is taken from one of those branches fixt to 
 the sides of common old-fashioned stove-grates by 
 way of ornament, wherein you see how the parts 
 p 44 have been varied by fancy only, and yet pretty 
 well : close to which | is another, with about the like 
 number of parts; but as the shapes neither are 
 enough varied as to their contents, nor in their situa- 
 tions with each other, but one shape follows its exact 
 likeness : it is therefore a disagreeable and tasteless 
 figure, and for the same reason the candlestick, fig. f 
 is still worse, as there is less variety in it. Nay, it 
 
 * Fig. 38. L. p. 1. 
 
 t Fig. 39. L. p. 1. 
 
 x Fig. 40. T. p, 1 . 
 
AMA-TLYSIS OT MA¥TT jy?. 
 
 t/uJrtdiredjr tyfob'r/- M.>ley4tir.i&m,-.rttrTisn 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 would be better to be quite plain, as figure than 
 with such poor attempts at ornament. 
 
 These few examples, well understood, will, I ima- 
 gine, be sufficient to put what was said at the beginning 
 of this chapter out of all doubt, viz. that the art of com- 
 posing well is no more than the art of varying well ; 
 and to shew, that the method which has been here 
 explained must consequently produce a pleasing pro- 
 portion amongst the parts; as well as that all deviations 
 from it will produce the contrary. Yet to strengthen 
 this latter assertion, let the following figures, taken 
 from the life, be examined by the above rules for 
 composing, and it will be found that the indian-fig or 
 torch-thistle, figure f, as well as all that tribe of un- 
 couth shaped exotics, have the same reasons for being 
 ugly, as the candlestick, fig. 40 ; as also that the 
 beauties of the Lily J and the calcidonian Iris § pro- 
 ceeds from their being composed with great variety, 
 and that the loss of variety, to a certain degree, in the 
 imitations of those flowers underneath them (fig. 45 
 and 46) is the cause of the meanness of their shapes, 
 though they retain enough to be called by the same 
 names. 
 
 Hitherto, with regard to composition, little else P.45 
 but forms made up of straight and curved lines 
 have been spoken of, and though these lines have but 
 little variety in themselves, yet by reason of the great 
 diversifications that they are capable of in being 
 joined with one another, great variety of beauty of 
 the more useful sort is produced by them, as in neces- 
 
 * Fig. 41. T. p. 1. t Fig. 42 . T. p. l. } Fig. 43. T. p. 1, 
 
 $ Fig. 44. T. p. 1 . 
 
 VOL. II. D 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 sary utensilj and building: but in my opinion, build- 
 ings as I before hinted, might be much more varied 
 than they are, for after fitness hath been strictly and 
 mechanically complied with, any additional ornamen- 
 tal members, or parts, may, by the foregoing rules, 
 be varied with equal elegance; nor can I help thinking, 
 but that churches, palaces, hospitals, prisons, com- 
 mon houses and summer houses, might be built more 
 in distinct characters than they are, by contriving 
 orders suitable to each ; whereas were a modern 
 architect to build a palace in Lapland, or the West 
 Ind ies, Paladio must be his guide, nor would he dare 
 to stir a step without his book. 
 
 Have not many gothic buildings a great deal of 
 consistent beauty in them? perhaps acquired by a 
 series of improvements made from time to time by 
 the natural persuasion of the eye, which often very 
 near answers the end of working by principles; and 
 sometimes begets them. There is at present such a 
 thirst after variety, that even paltry imitations of 
 Chinese buildings have a kind of vogue, chiefly on 
 account of their novelty: but not only these, but 
 any other new-invented characters of building might 
 46 be regulated by proper principles. The mere orna- 
 ments of building, to be sure, at least might be 
 allowed a greater latitude than they are at present ; 
 as capitals, frizes, &c. in order to increase the beauty 
 of variety. 
 
 Nature, in shells and flowers, &c. affords an in- 
 finite choice of elegant hints for this purpose; as the 
 original of the Corinthian capital was taken from no- 
 thing more, as is said, than some dock-leaves growing 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 tip against a basket. Even a capital composed of the 
 awkward and confined forms of hats and periwigs, as 
 fig. * in a skilful hand might be made to have some 
 beauty. 
 
 However, though the moderns have not made 
 many additions to the art of building, with respect to 
 mere beauty or ornament, yet it must be confessed, 
 they have carried simplicity, convenience, and neat- 
 ness of workmanship, to a very great degree of per- 
 fection, particularly in England ; where plain good 
 sense hath preferred these more necessary parts of 
 beauty, which every body can understand, to that 
 richness of taste which is so much to be seen in other 
 countries, and so often substituted in their room. 
 
 St. Paul s cathedral is one of the noblest instances 
 that can be produced of the most judicious applica- 
 tion of every principle that has been spoken of. There 
 you may see the utmost variety without confusion, 
 simplicity without nakedness, richness without taudri- 
 ness, distinctness without hardness, and Quantity with- 
 out excess. Whence the eye is entertained throughout P. 4? 
 with the charming variety of all its parts together ; 
 the noble projecting quantity of a certain number of 
 them, which presents bold and distinct parts at a dis- 
 tance, when the lesser parts within them disappear; 
 and the grand few, but remarkably well-varied parts 
 that continue to please the eye as long as the object 
 is discernible, are evident proofs of the superior skill 
 of Sir Christopher Wren, so justly esteemed the prince 
 of architects. 
 
 * Fig. 48. P. 1, 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 It will scarcely admit of a dispute, that the out- 
 side of this building is much more perfect than that 
 of St. Peter’s at Rome: but the inside, though as fine 
 and noble as the space it stands on, and our religion 
 will allow of, must give way to the splendour, shew, 
 and magnificence of that of St. Peter’s, on account oi 
 the sculptures and paintings, as well as the greater 
 magnitude of the whole, which makes it excel as to 
 quantity. 
 
 There are many other churches of great beauty, 
 the work of the same architect, which are hid in the 
 heart of the city, whose steeples and spires are raised 
 higher than ordinary, that they may be seen at a dis- 
 tance above the other buildings ; and the great num- 
 ber of them dispersed about the whole city, adorn 
 the prospect of it, and give it an air of opulency and 
 magnificence : on which account their shapes will be 
 found to be particularly beautiful. Of these, and per- 
 haps of any in Europe, St. Mary-le-bow is the most 
 elegantly varied. St. Bride’s in Fleet-street diminishes 
 4S sweetly by elegant degrees, but its variations, though 
 very curious when you are near them, not being quite 
 so bold, and distinct, as those of Bow, it too soon 
 loses variety at a distance. Some gothic spires are 
 finely and artfully varied, particularly the famous 
 steeple of Strasburg. 
 
 Westminster-Abbey is a good contrast to St. Paul’s, 
 with regard to simplicity and distinctness, the great 
 number of its filligrean ornaments, and small divided 
 and subdivided parts appear confused when nigh, and 
 are totally lost at a moderate distance; yet there is 
 nevertheless such a consistency of parts altogether in 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 a good gothic taste, and such propriety relative to the 
 gloomy ideas, they were then calculated to convey, 
 that they have at length acquired an established and 
 distinct character in building. It would be looked 
 upon as an impropriety and as a kind of profanation 
 to build places for mirth and entertainment in the 
 same taste. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 OF COMPOSITION WITH THE 
 WAVING-LINE. 
 
 There is scarce a room in any house whatever, where 
 one does not see the waving-Iine employed in some 
 way or other. How inelegant would the shapes of 
 all our moveables be without it ? how very plain and 
 unornamental the mouldings of cornices, and chim- 
 ney-pieces, without the variety introduced by the 
 ogee member, which is entirely composed of vvaving- 
 lines. 
 
 P .49 Though all sorts of waving-lines are ornamental, 
 when properly applied ; yet, strictly speaking, there 
 is but one precise line, properly to be called the line 
 of beauty , which in the scale of them * is number 4 : 
 the lines 5, 6 , 7, by their bulging too much in their 
 curvature becoming gross and clumsy 3 and, on the 
 contrary, 3, 2, 1, as they straighten, becoming mean 
 and poor 3 as will appear in the next figure f where 
 they are applied to the legs of chairs. 
 
 A still more perfect idea of the effects of the pre- 
 cise waving-line, and of those lines that deviate from 
 it, may be conceived by the row of stays, figure J, 
 where number 4 is composed of precise waving-lines, 
 
 * Fig. 49 . T. p. 1. f Fig. 50. T. p. 1. f Fig. 53. E. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 and is therefore the best shaped stay. Every whale- 
 bone of a good stay must be made to bend in this 
 manner : for the whole stay, when put close together 
 behind, is truly a shell of well-varied contents, and 
 its surface of course a line form ; so that if a line, or 
 the lace were to be drawn, or brought from the top 
 of the lacing of the stay behind, round the body, and 
 down to the bottom peak of the stomacher ; it would 
 form such a perfect, precise, serpentine-line, as has 
 been shewn, round the cone, figure 26 in plate 1. — 
 
 For this reason all ornaments obliquely contrasting 
 the body in this manner, as the ribbons worn by the 
 knights of the garter, are both genteel and graceful. 
 
 The numbers 5, 6, 7, and 3, 2, 1, are deviations into 
 stiffness and meanness on one hand, and clumsiness 
 and deformity on the other. The reasons for which P. so 
 disagreeable effects, after what has been already said, 
 will be evident to the meanest capacity. 
 
 It may be worth our notice however, that the stay, 
 number 2, would better fit a well-shaped man than 
 number 4 ; and that number 4, would better fit a 
 well-formed woman, than number 2 ; and when on 
 considering them, merely as to their forms, and com- 
 paring them together as you would do two vases, it 
 has been shewn by our principles, how much finer and 
 more beautiful number 4 is, than number 2 : does 
 not this our determination enhance the merit of these 
 principles, as it proves at the same time how much 
 the form of a woman’s body surpasses in beauty that 
 of a man ? 
 
 From the examples that have been given, enough 
 may be gathered to carry on our observations from 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 them to any other objects that may chance to come 
 in our way, either animate or inanimate ; so that we 
 may not only lineally account for the ugliness of the 
 toad, the hog, the bear and the spider, which are totally 
 void of this waving-line, but also for the different 
 degrees of beauty belonging to those objects that 
 possess it. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 OF COMPOSITIONS WITH THE 
 SERPENTINE-LINE. 
 
 1 he very great difficulty there is in describing this 
 line, either in words, or by the pencil (as was hinted 
 before, when I first mentioned it) will make it neces- 
 sary for me to proceed very slowly in what I have to P. 5 i 
 say in this chapter, and to beg the reader’s patience 
 whilst I lead him step by step into the knowledge of 
 what I think the sublime in form, so remarkably dis- 
 played in the human body; in which I believe, when 
 he is once acquainted with the idea of them, he 
 will find this species of lines to be principally con- 
 cerned. 
 
 First, then, let him consider fig. *, which repre- 
 sents a straight horn, with its contents, and he will 
 find, as it varies like the cone, it is a form of some 
 beauty, merely on that account. 
 
 Next let him observe in what manner, and in what 
 degree the beauty of this horn is increased, in fig. f 
 where it is supposed to be bent two different ways. 
 
 And lastly, let him attend to the vast increase of 
 beauty, even to grace and elegance, in the same horn, 
 
 +> where it is supposed to have been twisted 
 
 * Fig. 56. B. p. 2. t Fi g. 2. I Fig. 58. B. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 round, at the same time, that it was bent two dif- 
 ferent ways, (as in the last figure.) 
 
 In the first of these figures, the dotted line down 
 the middle expresses the straight lines of which it is 
 composed ; which, without the assistance of curve 
 lines, or light and shade, would hardly shew it to 
 have contents. 
 
 The same is true of the second, though by the 
 bending of the horn, the straight dotted line is changed 
 into the beautiful waving-line. 
 
 2 But in the last, this dotted line, by the twisting as 
 well as the bending of the horn, is changed from the 
 waving into the serpentine-line; which, as it dips out 
 of sight behind the horn in the middle, and returns 
 again at the smaller end, not only gives play to the 
 imagination, and delights the eye, on that account; 
 but informs it likewise of the quantity and variety of 
 the contents. 
 
 I have chosen this simple example, as the easiest 
 way of giving a plain and general idea ol the pecu- 
 liar qualities of these serpentine-lines, and the advan- 
 tages of bringing them into compositions, where the 
 contents you are to express, admit of grace and 
 elegance. 
 
 And I beg the same things may be understood of 
 these serpentine-lines, that I have said before of the 
 waving-lines. For as among the vast variety of 
 waving-lines that may be conceived, there is but one 
 that truly deserves the name of the line of beauty , so 
 there is only one precise serpentine-line that I call 
 the tine of grace. Yet, even when they are made too 
 bulging, or too tapering, though they certainly lose 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 of their beauty and grace, they do not become so 
 wholly void of it, as not to be of excellent service in 
 compositions, where beauty and grace are not parti- 
 cularly designed to be expressed in their greatest 
 perfection. 
 
 Though I have distinguished these lines so parti., 
 cularly as to give them the titles of the lines of beauty 
 and grace, I mean that the use and application of them 
 should still be confined by the principles I have laid p. 53 
 down for composition in general ; and that they should 
 be judiciously mixt and combined with one another, 
 and even with those I may term plain lines, (in oppo- 
 sition to these) as the subject in hand requires. Thus 
 the cornu-copia fig. *, is twisted and bent after the 
 same manner, as the last figure of the horn ; but more 
 ornamented, and with a greater number of other lines 
 of the same twisted kind, winding round it with as 
 quick returns as those of a screw. 
 
 This soit of form may be seen with yet more vari- 
 ations, (and therefore more beautiful) in the a-oat’s 
 hoin, from which, in all probability, the ancients 
 originally took the extreme elegant forms they have 
 given their cornu-copias. 
 
 There is another way of considering this last 
 figure of the horn I would recommend to my reader, 
 in order to give him a clearer idea of the use both of the 
 waving and serpentine-lines in composition. 
 
 This is to imagine the horn, thus bent, and twisted, 
 to be cut length-ways by a very fine saw into two 
 equal parts ; and to observe one of these in the same 
 
 * Fig. 59. B. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 position the whole horn is represented in; and these 
 two observations will naturally occur to him. First, 
 that the edge of the saw must run from one end to the 
 other of the horn in the line of beauty ; so that the 
 edges of this half of the horn will have a beautiful 
 shape : and, secondly, that wherever the dotted ser- 
 F. 54 pentine-line on the surface of the whole horn dips be- 
 hind, and is lost to the eye, it immediately comes into 
 sight on the hollow surface of the divided horn. 
 
 The use I shall make of these observations will 
 appear very considerable in the application of them 
 to the human form, which we are next to attempt. 
 
 It will be sufficient, therefore, at present only to 
 oberve, first, that the whole horn acquires a beauty 
 by its being thus genteely bent two different ways ; 
 secondly, that whatever lines are drawn on its external 
 surface become graceful, as they must all of them, 
 from the twist that is given the horn, partake in some 
 degree or other of the shape of the serpentine-line : 
 and, lastly, when the horn is split, and the inner, as 
 well as the outward surface of its shell-like form is 
 exposed, the eye is peculiarly entertained and relieved 
 in the pursuit of these serpentine-lines, as in their 
 twistings their concavities and convexities are alter- 
 nately offered to its view. Hollow forms, therefore, 
 composed of such lines are extremely beautiful and 
 pleasing to the eye; in many cases more so, than those 
 of solid bodies. 
 
 Almost all the muscles, and bones, of which the 
 human form is composed, have more or less of these 
 kind of twists in them ; and give in a less degree, the 
 same kind of appearance to the parts which cover 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 them, and are the immediate object of the eye : and 
 for this reason it is that I have been so particular in 
 describing these forms of the bent, and twisted, and 
 ornamented horn. 
 
 There is scarce a straight bone in the whole body. P. 55 
 Almost all of them are not only bent different ways? 
 but have a kind of twist, which in some of them is very 
 graceful ; and the muscles annexed to them, though 
 they are of various shapes, appropriated to their par- 
 ticular uses, generally have their component fibres 
 running in these serpentine-lines, surrounding and 
 conforming themselves to the varied shapes of the 
 bones they belong to : more especially in the limbs. 
 Anatomists are so satisfied of this, that they take a 
 pleasure in distinguishing their several beauties. I 
 shall only instance in the thigh-bone, and those about 
 the hips. 
 
 The thigh-bone fig. *, has the waving and twisted 
 turn of the horn, 58 : but the beautiful bones adjoin- 
 ing, called the ossa innominata f, have, with greater 
 variety, the same turns and twists of that horn when 
 it is cut ; and its inner and outward surfaces are ex- 
 posed to the eye. 
 
 How ornamental these bones appear, when the 
 prejudice we conceive against them, as being part of 
 a skeleton, is taken off, by adding a little foliage to 
 them, may be seen in fig. J — Such shell-like winding 
 forms, mixt with foliage, twisting about them, are 
 made use of in all ornaments; a kind of composition 
 calculated merely to please the eye. Divest these of 
 their serpentine twinings and they immediately lose 
 
 * Fig. 62 . R. p. 2. Fig. 60 . B. p. 2. J Fig. 6l . B. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 all grace, and return to the poor gothic taste they were 
 in an hundred years ago *. 
 
 5 Fig. t is meant to represent the manner, in which 
 most of the muscles, (those of the limbs in particular) 
 are twisted round the bones, and conform themselves 
 to their length and shape ; but with no anatomical 
 exactness. As to the running of their fibres, some 
 anatomists have compared them to skains of thread, 
 loose in the middle, and tight at each end, which, 
 when they are thus considered as twisted contrary 
 ways round the bone, gives the strongest idea possi- 
 ble of a composition of serpentine-lines. 
 
 Of these fine winding forms then are the muscles 
 and bones of the human body composed, and which, 
 by their varied situations with each other, become 
 more intricately pleasing, and form a continued 
 waving of winding forms from one into the other, as 
 may be best seen by examining a good anatomical 
 figure, part of which you have here represented, in 
 the muscular leg and thigh, fig. j; which shews the 
 serpentine forms gnd varied situations of the muscles, 
 as they appear when the skin is taken off. It was 
 drawn from a plaster of paris figure cast off nature, 
 the original of which was prepared for the mould by 
 Cowper, the famous anatomist. In this last figure, 
 as the skin is taken off the parts are too distinctly 
 traced by the eye, for that intricate delicacy which is 
 necessary to the utmost beauty; yet the winding 
 figures of the muscles, with the variety of their situa- 
 tions, must always be allowed elegant forms : however, 
 
 * Fig. 63. B. p. 2. f Fig. 64. B. p. 2. % Fig. 65. P. I . 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 they lose in the imagination some of the beauty, 
 which they really have, by the idea of their being 
 fla}^ed ; nevertheless, by what has already been shewn P* $7 
 both of them and the bones, the human frame hath 
 more of its parts composed of serpentine-lines than 
 any other object in nature ; which is a proof both of 
 its superior beauty to all others, and, at the same 
 time, that its beauty proceeds from those lines : for 
 although they may be required sometimes to be 
 bulging in their twists, as in the thick swelling mus- 
 cles of the Hercules, yet elegance and greatness of 
 taste is still preserved ; but when these lines lose so 
 much of their twists as to become almost straight, all 
 elegance of taste vanishes. 
 
 Thus fig. * was also taken from nature, and drawn 
 in the same position, but treated in a more dry, stiff, 
 and Avliat the painters call, sticky manner , than the 
 nature of flesh is ever capable of appearing in, unless 
 when its moisture is dryed away: it must be allowed, 
 that the parts of this figure are of as right dimensions, 
 and as truly situated, as in the former; it wants only 
 the true twist of the lines to give it taste. 
 
 To prove this further, and to put the mean effect 
 of these plain or unvaried lines in a stronger light, see 
 fig. f , where, by the uniform, unvaried shapes and 
 situation of the muscles, without so much as a wav* 
 ing-line in them, it becomes so wooden a form, that 
 he that can fashion the leg of a joint-stool may carve 
 this figure as well as the best sculptor. In the same 
 manner, divest one of the best antique statues of all 
 
 * Fig. 66. P. l. 
 
 f Fig. 6;. P. i. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 its serpentine winding parts, and it becomes from an 
 P.58 exquisite piece of art, a figure of such ordinary lines 
 and unvaried contents, that a common stone-mason or 
 carpenter, with the help of his rule, calipers, and com- 
 passes, might carve out an exact imitation of it : and 
 were it not for these lines a turner, in his lathe, might 
 turn a much finer neck than that of the Grecian Venus, 
 as according to the common notion of a beautiful neck 
 it would be more truly round. For the same reason, 
 legs much swollen with disease, are as easy to imitate 
 as a post, having lost their drawing , as the painters 
 call it; that is, having their serpentine-lines all effaced, 
 by the skin’s being equally puffed up, as figure *. 
 
 If in comparing these three figures one with 
 another, the reader, notwithstanding the prejudice his 
 imagination may have conceived against them, as 
 anatomical figures, has been enabled only to perceive 
 that one of them is not so disagreeable as the others; 
 he will easily be led to see further, that this tendency 
 to beauty in one, is not owing to any greater degree 
 of exactness in the proportions of its parts, but merely 
 to the more pleasing turns and inter twistings of the 
 lines y which compose its external form ; for in all the 
 three figures the same proportions have been observ- 
 ed, and, on that account, they have all an equal claim 
 to beauty. 
 
 And if he pursues this anatomical enquiry but a 
 very little further, just to form a true idea of the ele- 
 gant use that is made of the skin and fat beneath it, 
 P.59 to conceal from the eye all that is hard and disagree- 
 
 * Fig. 68. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 able, and at the same time to preserve to it whatever 
 is necessary in the shapes of the parts beneath, to give 
 grace and beauty to the whole limb: he will find him- 
 self insensibly led into the principles of that grace and 
 beauty which is to be found in well-turned limbs, in 
 fine, elegant, healthy life, or in those of the best an- 
 tique statues; as well as into the reason why his eye 
 has so often unknowingly been pleased and delighted 
 with them. 
 
 Thus, in all other parts of the body, as well as 
 these, wherever, for the sake of the necessary motion 
 of the parts, with proper strength and agility, the in- 
 sertions of the muscles are too hard and sudden, their 
 swellings too bold, or the hollows between them too 
 deep, for their out-lines to be beautiful ; nature most 
 judiciously softens these hardnesses, and plumps up 
 these vacancies with a proper supply of fat, and covers 
 the whole with the soft, smooth, springy, and, in deli- 
 cate life, almost transparent skin, which conforming 
 itself to the external shape of all the parts beneath, 
 expresses to the eye the idea of its contents with the 
 utmost delicacy of beauty and grace. 
 
 The skin, therefore, thus tenderly embracing, and 
 gently conforming itself to the varied shapes of every 
 one of the outward muscles of the body, softened un- 
 derneath by the fat, where, otherwise, the same hard 
 lines and furrows would appear, as we find come on 
 with age in the face, and with labour, in the limbs, is 
 evidently a shell-like surface (to keep up the idea [ set P.۩ 
 out with) formed with the utmost delicacy in nature; 
 and therefore the most proper subject of the study of 
 every one, who desires to imitate the works of nature, 
 
 E 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 as a master should do, or to judge of the performances 
 of others as a real connoisseur ought. 
 
 I cannot be too long, I think, on this subject, as 
 so much will be found to depend upon it ; and there- 
 fore shall endeavour to give a clear idea of the diflerent 
 effect such anatomical figures have on the eye, from 
 what the same parts have, when covered by the fat 
 and skin by supposing a small wire (that has lost its 
 spring and so will retain every shape it is twisted into) 
 to be held fast to the outside of the hip (fig. 65, plate 
 I.) and thence brought down the other side of the thigh 
 obliquely over the calf of the leg, down to the outward 
 ancle (all the while pressed so close as to touch and 
 conform itself to the shape of every muscle it passes 
 over) and then to be taken off. If this wire be now 
 examined it will be found that the general uninter- 
 rupted flowing twist, which the winding round the 
 limbs would otherwise have given to it, is broke into 
 little better than so many separate plain curves, by the 
 sharp indentures it every where has received on being 
 closely pressed in between the muscles. 
 
 Suppose in the next place, such a wire was in the 
 same manner twisted round a living well-shaped leg 
 and thigh, or those of a fine statue ; when you take it 
 off you will find no such sharp indentures, nor any of 
 61 those regular engralings (as the heralds express it) 
 which displeased the eye before. On the contrary, 
 you will see how gradually the changes in its shape 
 are produced how imperceptibly the different cur- 
 vatures run into each other, and how easily the eye 
 glides along the varied wavings of its sweep. To en- 
 force this still further, if a line was to be drawn by a 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 pencil exactly where these wires have been supposed 
 to pass, the point of the pencil, in the muscular leg 
 and thigh, would perpetually meet with stops and 
 rubs, whilst in the others it would flow from muscle to 
 muscle along the elastic skin, as pleasantly as the 
 lightest skiff dances over the gentlest wave. 
 
 This idea of the wire, retaining thus the shape of 
 the parts it passes over, seems of so much consequence, 
 that I would by no means have it forgot ; as it may 
 properly be considered as one of the threads (or out- 
 lines) of the shell (or external surface) of the hu- 
 man form : and the frequently recurring to it will 
 assist the imagination in its conceptions of those parts 
 of it, whose shapes are most intricately varied : for 
 the same sort of observations may be made with 
 equal justice, on the shapes of ever so many such wires 
 twisted in the same manner in ever so many direc- 
 tions over every part of a well-made man, woman, or 
 statue. 
 
 And if the reader will follow in his imagination 
 the most exquisite turns of the chissel in the hands of 
 a master, when he is putting the finishing touches to 
 a statue ; he will soon be led to understand what it is p.62 
 the real judges expect from the hand of such a master, 
 which the Italians call, the little more, II poco piu, 
 and which in reality distinguishes the original mas- 
 ter-pieces at Rome from even the best copies of them. 
 
 An example or two will sufficiently explain what 
 is here meant ; for as these exquisite turns are to be 
 found in some degree of beauty or other, all over the 
 whole surface of the body and limbs : we may bv 
 taking any one part of a fine figure (though so small 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 a one that only a few muscles are expressed in it) ex* 
 plain the manner in which so much beauty and grace 
 has been given to them, as to convince a skilful artist, 
 almost at sight, that it must have been the work of a 
 master. 
 
 I have chosen, for this purpose, a small piece of 
 the body of a statue, fig*, representing part of the 
 left side under the arm, together with a little of the 
 breast, (including a very particular muscle, which from 
 the likeness its edges bear to the teeth of a saw, is, if 
 considered by itself, void of beauty) as most proper 
 to the point in hand, because this its regular shape 
 more peculiarly requires the skill of the artist to give 
 it a little more variety than it generally has, even in 
 nature. 
 
 First, then, I will give you a representation of this 
 part of the body, from an anatomical figure f , to show 
 what a sameness there is in the shapes of all the teeth- 
 like insertions of this muscle ; and how regularly the 
 fibres, which compose it, follow the almost parallel 
 outlines of the ribs they partly cover. 
 
 P.63 From what has been said before of the use of the 
 natural covering of the skin, &c. the next figure $ will 
 easily be understood to mean so tame a representation 
 of the same part of the body, that though the hard 
 and stiff appearance of the edges of this muscle is 
 taken off by that covering, yet enough of its regu- 
 larity and sameness remains to render it disagreeable. 
 
 Now as regularity and sameness, according to our 
 doctrine, is want of elegance and true taste, we shall 
 
 * Fig. 76 . T. p. 2 . f Fig. 77. T. p. 2 . * Fig. 78. T. p. 2 $ 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 endeavour in the next place to shew how this very 
 part (in which the muscles take so very regular a form) 
 may be brought to have as much variety as any other 
 part of the body whatever. In order to this, though 
 some alteration must be made in almost every part of 
 it, yet it should be so inconsiderable in each, that no 
 remarkable change may appear in the shape and 
 situation of any. 
 
 Thus, let the parts marked J, 3, 4, {which ap- 
 pear so exactly similar in shape, and parallel in situa- 
 tion in the muscular figure 77) and not much mended 
 in fig. 78, be first varied in their sizes, but not gra- 
 dually from the uppermost to the lowest, as in fig. * 9 
 nor alternately one long and one short, as in fig. f, for 
 in either of these cases there would still remain too 
 great a formality. We should therefore endeavour, 
 in the next place, to vary them every way in our 
 power, without losing entirely the true idea of the 
 parts themselves. Suppose them then to have changed 
 their situations a little, and slipped beside each other P. 64 
 irregularly, (some how as is represented in fig. J, 
 merely with regard to situation) and the external ap- 
 pearance of the whole piece of the body, now under 
 our consideration, will assume the more varied and 
 pleasing form, represented in fig. 70? easil-y to be dis- 
 cerned by comparing the three figures 70, 77, 78, one 
 with another ; and it will as easily be seen, that were 
 lines to be drawn, or wires to be bent, over these mus- 
 cles, from one to the other, and so on to the adjoining 
 
 * Fig. 79 ’ T. p. 2. 
 
 f Fig. 80. T. p. 2. f Fig. 81. T. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 parts; they would have a continued waving flow, let 
 them pass in any direction whatever. 
 
 The unskilful, in drawing these parts after the life, 
 as their regularities are much more easily seen and 
 copied than their fine variations, seldom fail of making 
 them more regular and poor than they really appear 
 even in a consumptive person. 
 
 The difference will appear evident by comparing 
 fig. 78, purposely drawn in this tasteless maimer, with 
 fig. 76'. But will be more perfectly understood by 
 examining this part in the Torso of Michael Angelo 
 whence this figure was taken. 
 
 Note, there are casts of a small copy of that famous 
 trunk of a body to be had at almost every plaster- 
 figure maker’s, wherein what has been here described 
 may be sufficiently seen, not only in the part which 
 figure 76 w as taken from, but all over that curious 
 piece of antiquity. 
 
 P 6 5 I must here again press my reader to a particular 
 attention to the windings of these superficial lines, 
 even in their passing over everyjoint, what alterations 
 soever may be made in the surface of the skin by the 
 various bendings of the limbs : and though the space 
 allowed for it, just in the joints, be ever so small, and 
 consequently the lines ever so short, the application 
 of this principle of varying these lines, as far as their 
 lengths will admit of, will be found to have its effect 
 as gracefully as in the more lengthened muscles of 
 the body. 
 
 * Fig. 54. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 It should be observed in the fingers, where the 
 joints are but short, and the tendons straight ; and 
 where beauty seems to submit, in some degree, to 
 use, yet not so much but you trace in a full-grown 
 taper finger, these little winding lines among the 
 wrinkles, or in (what is more pretty because more 
 simple) the dimples of the nuckles. As we alwaj^s 
 distinguish things best by seeing their reverse set in 
 opposition with them ; if fig. # , by the straightness of 
 its lines, shews fig. f, to have some little taste in 
 it, though it is so slightly sketched; the difference will 
 more evidently appear when you in like manner com- 
 pare a straight coarse finger in common life with the 
 taper dimpled one of a fine lady. 
 
 There is an elegant degree of plumpness peculiar 
 to the skin of the softer sex, that occasions these deli- 
 cate dimplings in all their other joints, as well as these 
 of the fingers ; which so perfectly distinguishes them 
 from those even of a graceful man ; and which, assisted 
 by the more softened shapes of the muscles under- P-66' 
 neath, presents to the eye all the varieties in the whole 
 figure of the body, with gentler and fewer parts more 
 sweetly connected together, and with such a fine sim- 
 plicity, as will always give the turn of the female frame, 
 represented in the Venus J, the preference to that of 
 the Apollo §. 
 
 Now whoever can conceive lines thus constantly 
 flowing, and delicately varying over every part of the 
 body even to the fingers ends, and will call to his re- 
 
 * Fig. 82. T. p. 2. t Fig. 83. T. p. 2. f Fig. 13. p. 1. 
 
 § Fig. 12. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY, 
 
 membrance what led us to this last description of what 
 the Italians call, II poco piu ( the little more that is 
 expected from the hand of a master) will, in my mind, 
 want very little more than what his own observation 
 on the works of art and nature will lead him to, to 
 acquire a true idea of the word Taste, when applied to 
 form ; however inexplicable this word may hitherto 
 have been imagined. 
 
 We have all along had recourse chiefly to the 
 works of the ancients, not because the moderns have 
 not produced some as excellent ; but because the 
 works of the former are more generally known : nor 
 would we have it thought, that either of them have 
 ever yet come up to the utmost beauty of nature. 
 Who but a bigot, even to the antiques, will say that 
 he has not seen faces and necks, hands and arms in 
 living women, that even the Grecian Venus doth but 
 coarsely imitate ? 
 
 67 And what sufficient reason can be given why the 
 same may not be said of the rest of the body? 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 OF PROPORTION. 
 
 If any one should ask, what it is that constitutes a 
 fine-proportioned human figure ? how ready and 
 seemingly decisive is the common answer: a just 
 symmetry and harmony of parts with respect to the 
 whole. But as probably this vague answer took its 
 rise from doctrines not belonging to form, or idle 
 schemes built on them, I apprehend it will cease to 
 be thought much to the purpose after a proper en- 
 quiry has been made. 
 
 Preparatory to which, it becomes necessary in this 
 place, to mention one reason more which may be 
 added to those given in the introduction, for my 
 having persuaded the reader to consider objects 
 scooped out like thin shells ; which is, that partly by 
 this conception, he may be the better able to separate 
 and keep asunder the two following general ideas, as 
 we will call them, belonging to form ; which are apt 
 to coincide and mix with each other in the mind, and 
 which it is necessary (for the sake of making each 
 more fully and particularly clear) should be kept 
 apart, and considered singly. 
 
 First, the general ideas of what hath already been 
 discussed in the foregoing chapters, which only com- 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 prebends the surface of form, viewing it in no other 
 light than merely as being ornamental or not. 
 
 P.68 Secondly, that general idea , now to be discussed^ 
 which we commonly have of form altogether, as 
 arising chiefly from a fitness to some designed pur- 
 pose or use. 
 
 Hitherto our main drift hath been to establish and 
 illustrate the first idea only, by shewing, first the 
 nature of variety, and then its effects on the mind; 
 with the manner how such impressions are made by 
 means of the different feelings given to the eye, from 
 its movements in tracing and coursing 1 over surfaces 
 of all kinds. 
 
 The surface of a piece of ornament, that hath 
 every turn in it that lines are capable of moving into* 
 and at the same time no way applied, nor of any man- 
 ner of use, but merely to entertain the eye, would 
 be such an object as would answer to this first idea 
 alone. 
 
 The figure like a leaf, at the bottom of plate 1, near 
 to fig. 67, is something of this kind ; it w as taken from 
 an ash-tree, and was a sort of Lusus nature, growing 
 only like an excrescence, but so beautiful in the lines 
 of its shell-like windings, as would have been above 
 the power of a Gibbons to have equalled, even in its 
 own materials; nor could the graver of an Edlinck, or 
 Drevet, have done it justice on copper. 
 
 Note, the present taste of ornaments seems to 
 have been partly taken from productions of this sort. 
 
 ] See Chap. 5. page 25. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 which are to be found about autumn among plants, 
 particularly asparagus, when it is running to seed. 
 
 I shall now endeavour to explain what is included P. 69 
 in what I have called for distinction sake, the second 
 general idea of form, in a much fuller manner than was 
 done in chapter I. of Fitness. And begin with observ- 
 ing, that though surfaces will unavoidably be still 
 included, yet we must no longer confine ourselves to 
 the particular notice of them as surfaces only, as we 
 heretofore have done ; we must now open our view 
 to general, as well as particular bulk and solidity; 
 and also look into what may have filled up, or given 
 rise thereto, such as certain given quantities and 
 dimensions of parts, for inclosing any substance, or 
 for performing of motion , purchase, stedfastness, and 
 other matters of use to living beings, which, I appre- 
 hend, at length, will bring us to a tolerable concep- 
 tion of the word proportion. 
 
 As to these joint-sensations of bulk and motion, 
 do we not at first sight almost, even without making 
 trial, seem to feel when a leaver of any kind is too 
 weak, or not long enough to make such or such a pur- 
 chase ? or when a spring is not sufficient ? and don’t 
 we find by experience what weight, or dimension 
 should be given, or taken away, on this or that 
 account ? if so, as the general as well as particular 
 bulks of form, are made up of materials moulded 
 together under mechanical directions, for some 
 known purpose or other ; how naturally, from these 
 considerations, shall we fall into a judgment of ft 
 proportion ; which is one part of beauty to the mind 
 though not always so to the eye. 
 
ANALYSIS CF BEAUTY. 
 
 P.70 Our necessities have taught us to mould matter 
 into various shapes, and to give them fit proportions 
 for particular uses, as bottles, glasses, knives, dishes, 
 &c. Hath not offence given rise to the form of the 
 sword, and defence to that of the shield ? And what 
 else but proper fitness of parts hath fixed the different 
 dimensions of pistols, common guns, great guns, fowl- 
 ing-pieces and blunderbusses ; which differences as to 
 figure, may as properly be called the different charac- 
 ters of fire-arms, as the different shapes of men are 
 called characters of men. 
 
 We find also that the profuse variety of shapes, 
 which present themselves from the whole animal cre- 
 ation, arise chiefly from the nice fitness of their parts, 
 designed for accomplishing the peculiar movements 
 of each. 
 
 And here I think will be the proper place to speak 
 of a most curious difference between the living ma- 
 chines of nature, in respect of fitness, and such poor 
 ones, in comparison with them, as men are only ca- 
 pable of making; by means of which distinction, I am 
 in hopes of shewing what particularly constitutes the 
 utmost beauty of proportion in the human figure. 
 
 A clock, by the government’s order, has been 
 made, and another now making, by Mr. Harrison, 
 for the keeping of true time at sea; which perhaps is 
 one of the most exquisite movements ever made. 
 Happy the ingenious contriver ! although the form 
 of the whole, or of every part of this curious machine, 
 p.71 should be ever so confused, or dispieasingly shaped to 
 the eye; and although even its movements should 
 be disagreeable to look at, provided it answers the 
 
ANALYSIS OF EEAUTY. 
 
 end proposed : an ornamental composition was no 
 part of his scheme, otherwise than as a polish might 
 be necessary; if ornaments are required to be added 
 to mend its shape, care must be taken that they are 
 no obstruction to the movement itself, and the more 
 as they would be superfluous, as to the main design. 
 
 - — But in nature’s machines, how wonderfully do we 
 see beauty and use go hand in hand ! 
 
 Had a machine for this purpose been nature’s 
 work, the whole and every individual part might have 
 had exquisite beauty of form without danger of de- 
 stroying the exquisiteness of its motion, even as if 
 ornament had been the sole aim ; its movements too 
 might have been graceful, without one superfluous 
 tittle added for either of these lovely purposes. — Now 
 this is that curious difference between the fitness of 
 nature’s machines (one of which is man) and those 
 made by mortal hands : which distinction is to lead 
 us to our main point proposed ; I mean to the shew- 
 ing what constitutes the utmost beauty of proportion. 
 
 There was brought from France some years ago, 
 a little clock-work machine, with a duck’s head and 
 legs fixt to it, which was so contrived as to have some 
 resemblance to that animal standing upon one foot, 
 and stretching back its leg, turning its head, opening 
 and shutting its bill, moving its wings, and shaking 
 its tail ; all of them the plainest and easiest directions P./2 
 in living movements : yet for the p.oorly performing 
 of these few motions, this silly, but much extolled 
 machine, being uncovered, appeared a most compli- 
 cated, confused and disagreeable object : nor would 
 its being covered with a skin closely adhering to its 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 parts, as that of a real duck’s doth, have much mended 
 its figure ; at best a bag of hob-nails, broken hinges, 
 and patten-rings, would have looked as well, unless 
 by other means it had been stuffed out to bring it into 
 form. 
 
 Thus again you see, the more variety we pretend 
 to give to our trifling movements, the more confused 
 and unornamental the forms become; nay chance but 
 seldom helps them. — How much the reverse are na- 
 ture’s ! the greater the variety her movements have, 
 the more beautiful are the parts that cause them. 
 
 The finny race of animals, as they have fewer mo- 
 tions than other creatures, so are their forms less re- 
 markable for beauty. It is also to be noted of every 
 species, that the handsomest of each move best : birds of 
 a clumsy make seldom fly well, nor do lumpy fish glide 
 so well through the water as those of a neater make ; 
 and beasts of the most elegant form always excel in 
 speed; of this, the horse and greyhound are beau- 
 tiful examples : and even among themselves, the 
 most elegantly made seldom fail of being the swiftest. 
 
 The war-horse is more equally made for strength 
 than the race-horse, which surplus of power in the 
 - 3 former, if supposed added to the latter, as it would 
 throw more weight into improper parts for the busi- 
 ness of mere speed, so of course it would lessen, in 
 some degree, that admirable quality, and partly de- 
 stroy that delicate fitness of his make ; but then a 
 quality in movement, superior to that of speed, would 
 be given to him by the addition, as he would be ren- 
 dered thereby more fit to move with ease in such 
 varied, or graceful directions, as are so delightful to the 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 eye in the carriage of the fine managed war-horse; 
 and as at the same time, something stately and grace- 
 ful would be added to his figure, which before could 
 only be said to have an elegant neatness. This noble 
 creature stands foremost amongst brutes ; and it is 
 but consistent with nature’s propriety, that the most 
 useful animal in the brute-creation, should be thus 
 signalized also for the most beauty. 
 
 Yet, properly speaking, no living creatures are 
 capable of moving in such truly varied and graceful 
 directions, as the human species ; and it would be 
 needless to say how much superior in beauty their 
 forms and textures likewise are. And surely also after 
 what has been said relating to figure and motion, it 
 it is plain and evident that nature has thought fit to 
 make beauty of proportion and beauty of movement 
 necessary to each other: so that the observation before 
 made on animals, will hold equally good with regard 
 to man : i. e. that he who is most exquisitely well-pro- 
 portioned is most capable of exquisite movements, 
 such as ease and grace in deportment , or in dancing. 
 
 It may be a sort of collateral confirmation of p *4 
 what has been said of this method of nature’s working, 
 as well as otherwise worth our notice, that when any 
 parts belonging to the human body are concealed, 
 and not immediately concerned in movement, all 
 such ornamental shapes, as evidently appear in the 
 muscles and bones 1 , are totally neglected as unneces- 
 sary, for nature doth nothing in vain ! this is plainly 
 the case of the intestines, none of them having the 
 
 1 See chap. ix. on Compositions with the Serpentine-line. 
 
ANALYSIS 0 9 BLAUTY. 
 
 least beauty, as to form, except the heart; which no- 
 ble part, and indeed kind of first mover, is a simple 
 and well varied figure; conformable to which, some 
 of the most elegant Roman urns and vases have been 
 fashioned. 
 
 Now, thus much being kept in remembrance, our 
 next step will be to speak of, first, general measure- 
 ments ; such as the whole height of the body to its 
 breadth, or the length of a limb to its thickness : and, 
 secondly, of such appearances of dimensions as are 
 too intricately varied to admit of a description by 
 lines. 
 
 The former will be confined to a very few straight 
 lines, crossing each other, which will easily be under- 
 stood by every one; but the latter will require some- 
 what more attention, because it will extend to the 
 precision of every modification, bound, or limit, of 
 the human figure. 
 
 To be somewhat more explicit. As to the first 
 part, I shall begin with shewing what practicable sort 
 75 of measuring may be used in order to produce the 
 most proper variety in the proportions of the parts of 
 any body. I say, practicable , because the vast variety 
 of intricately situated parts, belonging to the human 
 form, will not admit of measuring the distances of one 
 part by another, by lines or points, beyond a certain 
 degree or number, without great perplexity in the 
 operation itself, or confusion to the imagination. 
 For instance, say, a line representing one breadth and 
 an half of the wrist, would be equal to the true 
 breadth of the thickest part of the arm above the 
 elbow; may it not then be asked, what part ol the 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 wrist is meant? for if you place a pair of calipers a 
 little nearer or further from the hand, the distance of 
 the points will differ, and so they will if they are 
 moved close to the wrist all round, because it is flat- 
 ter one way than the other; but suppose, for argu- 
 ment sake, one certain diameter should be fixed upon; 
 may it not again be asked, how is it to be applied, if 
 to the flattest side of the arm or the roundest, and how 
 far from the elbow, and must it be when the arm is 
 extended or when it is bent ? for this also will make a 
 sensible difference, because in the latter position, the 
 muscle, called the biceps, in the front of that part of 
 the arm, swells up like a ball one way, and narrows it- 
 self another; nay all the muscles shift their appearances 
 in different movements, so that whatever may have 
 been pretended by some authors, no exact mathema- 
 tical measurements by lines can be given for the true 
 proportion of a human body. 
 
 It comes then to this, that no longer than whilst P. 70 
 we suppose all the lengths and breadths of the body, 
 or limbs, to be as regular figures as cylinders, or as 
 the leg, figure 68 in plate 1, which is as round as a 
 rolling stone, are the measures of lengths to breadths 
 practicable, or of any use to the knowledge of propor- 
 tion : so that as all mathematical schemes are foreign 
 to this purpose, we will endeavour to root them quite 
 out of our way : therefore I must not omit taking no- 
 tice, that Albert Durer, Lamozzo, (see two tasteless 
 figures taken from their books of proportion*) and 
 some others, have not only puzzled mankind with a 
 
 * Fig. 55 . p. 1. 
 
 F 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 heap of minute unnecessary divisions, but also with a 
 strange notion that those divisions are governed by the 
 laws of music ; which mistake they seem to have been 
 led into, by having seen certain uniform and con- 
 sonant divisions upon one string produce harmony to 
 the ear, and by persuading themselves, that similar 
 distances in lines belonging to form, would, in like 
 manner, delight the eye. The very reverse of which 
 has been shewn to be true, in chap. 3, on Uniformity. 
 “ The length of the foot, say they, in respect to the 
 breadth, makes a double suprabipartient , a diapason and 
 & diatesseron 1 wb\c\\ in my opinion, would have been 
 77 full as applicable to the ear, or to a plant, or to a tree, 
 or any other form whatsoever ; yet these sort of 
 notions have so far prevailed by time, that the words, 
 harmony of parts , seem as applicable to form, as to 
 music. 
 
 Notwithstanding the absurdity of the above 
 schemes, such measures as are to be taken from an- 
 tique statues, may be of some service to painters and 
 sculptors, especially to young beginners, but nothing 
 nigh of such use to them, as the measures, taken the 
 same way, from ancient buildings, have been, and are, 
 to architects and builders ; because the latter have to 
 do with little else but plain geometrical figures: which 
 
 1 Note, these authors assure you, that this curious method of mea- 
 suring, will produce beauty far beyond any nature doth afford. Lamozzo 
 recommends also another scheme, with a triangle, to correct the 
 poverty of nature, as they express themselves. These nature-menders 
 put one in mind of Gulliver’s tailor at Laputa, who, having taken 
 measure of him for a suit of clothes, with a rule, quadrant and com- 
 passes, after a considerable time spent, brought them home ill made. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 measures, however, serve only in copying what has 
 been done before. 
 
 The few measures I shall speak of, for the setting 
 out the general dimensions of a figure, shall be taken 
 by straight lines only, for the more easy conception of 
 what may indeed be properly called, gaging the con * 
 tents of the body, supposing it solid like a marble sta- 
 tue, as the wires were described to do * in the intro- 
 duction : by which plain method, clear ideas may be 
 acquired of what alone seem to me to require measurr 
 jng, of what certain lengths to what breadths make 
 the most eligible proportions in general. 
 
 The most general dimensions of a body, or limbs, 
 are lengths, breadths or thicknesses : now the whole 
 gentility of a figure, according to its character, der 
 pends upon the first proportioning these lines or wires p. ^ 
 (which are its measures) properly one to another* and 
 the more varied these lines are, with respect to each 
 other, the more may the future divisions be varied 
 likewise, that are to be made on them ; and of course 
 the less varied these lines are, the parts influenced by 
 them, as they must conform themselves to them, 
 must have less variety too. For example, the exact 
 cross f of two equal lines, cutting each other in the 
 middle, would confine the figure of a man, drawn con- 
 formable to them, to the disagreeable character of 
 bis being as broad as he is long. And the two lines 
 crossing each other, to make the height and breadth 
 of a figure, will want variety a contrary way, by one 
 Jjne being very short in proportion to the other, aruj 
 
 * Pig. 2. p. i. 
 
 f Fig. 6g. R. p, 2 . 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 therefore, also incapable of producing a figure of 
 tolerable variety. To prove this, it will be very 
 easy for the reader to make the experiment, by draw- 
 ing a figure or two (though ever so imperfectly) con- 
 fined within such limits. 
 
 There is a medium between these, proper for every 
 character, which the eye will easily and accurately 
 determine. 
 
 Thus, if the lines, fig. *, were to be the measure of 
 the extreme length and breadth, set out either for the 
 figure of a man or a vase, the eye soon sees the longest 
 of these is not quite sufficiently so, in proportion to 
 the other, for a genteel man ; and yet it w^ould make 
 p. 79 a vase too taper to be elegant ; no rule or compasses 
 would decide this matter either so quickly or so pre- 
 cisely as a good eye. It may be observed, that minute 
 differences in great lengths are of little or no conse- 
 quence as to proportion, because they are not to be 
 discerned; for a man is half an inch shorter when he 
 goes to bed at night, than when he rises in the morn- 
 ing, without the possibility of its being perceived. In 
 case of a wager the application of a rule or compasses 
 may be necessary, but seldom on any other occasion. 
 
 Thus much I apprehend is sufficient for the consi- 
 deration of general lengths to breadths. Where, by 
 the way, I apprehend I have plainly shewn, that there 
 is no practicable rule, by lines, for minutely setting 
 out proportionsjd?r the human body, and if there were, 
 the eye alone must determine us in our choice of what 
 is most pleasing to itself. 
 
 * Fig. 70. R. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 Thus having dispatched general dimension, which 
 we may say is almost as much of proportion, as is to 
 be seen when we have our cloaths on : I shall in the 
 second, and more extensive method proposed for con- 
 sidering it, set out in the familiar path of common 
 observation, and appeal as I go on to our usual feel- 
 ing, or joint-sensation, of figure and motion. 
 
 Perhaps by mentioning two or three known in- 
 stances it will be found that almost every one is far- 
 ther advanced in the knowledge of this speculative 
 part of proportion than he imagines; especially he 
 who hath been used to observe naked figures doing 
 bodily exercise, and more especially if he be anyway 
 interested in the success of them; and the better he is 
 acquainted with the nature of the exercise itself, still 
 the better judge he becomes of the figure that is to 
 perform it. For this reason, no sooner are two boxers 
 stript to fight, but even a butcher, thus skilled, shews 
 himself a considerable critic in proportion ; and on 
 this sort of judgment, often gives, or takes the odds, 
 at bare sight only of the combatants. I have heard a 
 blacksmith harangue like an anatomist, or sculptor, 
 on the beauty of a boxer’s figure, though not perhaps 
 in the same terms ; and I firmly believe, that one of 
 our common proficients in the athletic art would be 
 able to instruct and direct the best sculptor living, 
 (who hath not seen, or is wholly ignorant of this exer- 
 cise) in what would give the statue of an English boxer, 
 a much better proportion, as to character, than is to 
 be seen, even in the famous group of antique boxers, 
 (or as some call them, Roman wrestlers) so much ad- 
 mired to this day. 
 
 ’. 80 
 
Analysis of beauty. 
 
 tndeed, as many parts of the body are so com 
 stantly kept covered, the proportion of the whole cam 
 hot be equally known ; but as stockings are so close 
 and thin a covering, every one judges of the different 
 shapes and proportions of legs with great accuracy* 
 The ladies always speak skilfully of necks* hands and 
 arms; and often will point out such particular beauties 
 or defects in their make, as might easily escape the 
 observation of a man of science* 
 si Surely, such determinations could not be made 
 and pronounced with such critical truth, if the eye 
 wrre not capable of measuring or judging of thick- 
 nesses by lengths* with great preciseness. Nay more* 
 in order to determine so nicely as they often do, it 
 must also at the same time trace with some skill those 
 delicate windings upon the surface which have been 
 described in page 64 and 65, which altogether may 
 be observed to include the two general ideas men* 
 tioned at the beginning of this chapter* 
 
 If so, certainly it is in the power of a man of scU 
 fence* with as observing an eye, to go still further, and 
 conceive, with a very little turn of thought, many 
 other necessary circumstances concerning proportion* 
 as of What size and in what manner the bones help 
 to make up the bulk, and support the other parts; as 
 well as what certain weights or dimensions of muscles 
 are proper (according to the principle of the steel* 
 yard) to move such or such a length of arm with this 
 or that degree of swiftness or force. 
 
 But though much of this matter may be easily 
 Understood by common observation, assisted by sci* 
 ence, still I fear it will be difficult to raise a very clear 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 idea of what constitutes, or composes the utmost beauty 
 of proportion ; such as is seen in the Antinous ; which 
 is allowed to be the most perfect in this respect, of 
 any of the antique statues ; and though the lovely like- 
 wise seems to have been as much the sculptor s aim, 
 as in the Venus ; yet a manly strength in its propor- P. 62 
 tion is equally expressed from head to foot in it. 
 
 Let us try, however, and as this master-piece of 
 art is so well known, we will set it up before us as a 
 pattern, and endeavour to fabricate, or put together 
 in the mind, such kind of parts as shall seem to build 
 another figure like it. In doing which, w r e shall soon 
 find that it is chiefly to be effected by means of the 
 nice sensation we naturally have of what certain quan- 
 tities or dimensions of parts, are fittest to produce the 
 utmost strengthformovingor supporting great weights; 
 and of what are most fit for the utmost light agility, as 
 also for every degree, between these two extremes. 
 
 He who hath best perfected his ideas of these mat- 
 ters by common observations, and by the assistance 
 of arts relative thereto, will probably be most precisely 
 just and clear, in conceiving the application of the 
 various parts and dimensions, that will occur to him, 
 in the following descriptive manner of disposing of 
 them, in order to form the idea of a fine-proportioned 
 figure. 
 
 Having set up the Antinous as our pattern, we 
 will suppose there were placed on one side of it, the 
 unwieldy elephant-like figure of an Atlas, made up of 
 such thick bones and muscles, as would best fit him 
 for supporting a vast weight, according to his charac- 
 ter of extreme heavy strength: and, on the other side, P.83 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 imagine the slim figure of a Mercury, every where 
 neatly formed for the utmost light agility, with slen- 
 der bones and taper muscles fit for his nimble bound- 
 ing from the ground. — Both these figures must be 
 supposed of equal height, and not exceeding six foot 1 . 
 
 Our extremes thus placed, now imagine the Atlas 
 throwing off by degrees certain portions of bone and 
 muscle, proper for the attainment of light agility, as 
 if aiming at the Mercury’s airy form and quality, 
 whilst on the other hand, see the Mercury augment- 
 ing his taper figure by equal degrees, and growing 
 towards an Atlas in equal time, by receiving to the 
 like places from whence they came, the very quantities 
 that the other had been casting off, when, as they r ap- 
 proach each other in weight, their forms of course may 
 be imagined to grow more and more alike, till at a 
 certain point of time, they meet in just similitude; 
 winch being an exact medium between the two ex- 
 tremes, we may thence conclude it to be the precise 
 form of exact proportion fittest for perfect active 
 strength or graceful movement; such as the Antinous 
 we proposed to imitate and figure in the mind 2 . 
 
 I am apprehensive that this part of my scheme, for 
 
 If the scale of either of these proportions were to exceed six 
 foot in the lhe, the quality of strength in one and agility in the 
 other, would gradually decrease, the larger the person grew. There 
 are sufficient proofs of this, both from mechanical reasonings and 
 common observation. 
 
 ‘ 2 The jockey who knows to an ounce what flesh or bone in a horse 
 is fittest tor speed or strength, will as easily conceive the like process 
 between the strongest dray-horse and the fleetest racer, and soon 
 conclude, that the fine war-horse must be the medium between the 
 two extremes. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 explaining exact proportion, may not be thought so 
 sufficiently determinate as could be wished : be this P. 84 
 as it will, I must submit it to the reader as my best 
 resource in so difficult a case : and shall therefore beg 
 leave to try to illustrate it a little more, by observing, 
 that, in like manner, any two opposite colours in the 
 rainbow ^ form a third between them, by thus impart- 
 ing to each other their peculiar qualities; as for exam- 
 ple, the brightest yellow, and the lively blue that is 
 placed at some distance from it, visibly approach, and 
 blend by interchan gable degrees, and, as above, tem- 
 per rather than destroy each other’s vigour, till they 
 meet in one firm compound ; whence, at a certain 
 point, the sight of what they were originally, is quite 
 lost ; but in their stead, a most pleasing green is 
 found, which colour nature hath chose for the vest- 
 ment of the earth, and with the beauty of which the 
 eye is never tired. 
 
 From the order of the ideas which the description 
 of the above three figures may have raised in the mind, 
 we may easily compose between them, various other 
 proportions. And as the painter, by means of a cer- 
 tain order in the arrangement of the colours upon his 
 pallet, readily mixes up what kind of tint he pleases, 
 so may we mix up and compound in the imagination 
 such fit parts as will be consistent with this or that 
 particular character, or at least be able thereby to 
 discover how such characters are composed when 
 we see them either in art or nature. 
 
 But perhaps even the word character , as it relates p g .5 
 to form , may not be quite understood by every one, 
 though it is so frequently used ; nor do I remember to 
 
ANALYSIS OT BEAUTY. 
 
 have seen it explained any where. Therefore on this 
 account— and also as it will further shew the use of 
 thinking of form and motion together, it will not be 
 improper to observe,— that notwithstanding a charac- 
 ter, in this sense, chiefly depends on a figure being 
 remarkable as to its form, either in some particular 
 part, or altogether; yet surely no figure, be it ever 
 so singular, can be perfectly conceived as a charac- 
 ter, till we fmd it connected with some remarkable 
 circumstance or cause, for such particularity of ap- 
 pearance ; for instance, a fat bloated person doth not 
 call to mind the character of a Silenus, till we have 
 joined the idea of voluptuousness with it; so likewise 
 strength to support, and clumsiness of figure, are 
 united, as well in the character of an Atlas as in a 
 porter. 
 
 When we consider the great weight chairmen 
 often have to carry, do we not readily consent that 
 there is a propriety and fitness in the tuscan order of 
 their legs, by which they properly become characters 
 as to figure ? 
 
 Watermen too are of a distinct cast, or character, 
 whose legs are no less remarkable for their smallness : 
 for as there is naturally the greatest call for nutriment 
 to the parts that are most exercised, so of course these 
 that lie so much stretched out, are apt to dwindle, or 
 not grow to their full size. There is scarcely a water- 
 p. s6 man that rows upon the Thames, whose figure doth 
 not confirm this observation. Therefore were I to 
 paint the character of a Charon, I would thus distin- 
 guish his make from that of a common man’s ; and, in 
 spite of the word low , venture to give him a broad pair 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 0? shoulders, and spindle shanks, whether I had the 
 authority of an antique statue* or basso-relievo, for it 
 or not. 
 
 May be, I cannot throw a stronger light on what 
 has been hitherto said of proportion, than by animad- 
 verting on a remarkable beauty in the Apollo-belve- 
 dere ; which hath given it the preference even to the 
 Antinous : I mean a super-addition of greatness , to at 
 least as much beauty and grace, as is found in the 
 latter. 
 
 These two master-pieces of art, are seen together 
 in the same palace at Rome, where the Antinous fills 
 the spectator with admiration only, whilst the Apollo 
 strikes him with surprise, and, as travellers express 
 themselves, with an appearance of something more 
 than human ; which they of course are always at a loss 
 to describe : and, this effect, they say, is the more 
 astonishing, as upon examination its disproportion is 
 evident even to a common eye. One of the best sculp- 
 tors we have in England, who lately went to see them, 
 confirmed to me what has been now said, particularly 
 as to the legs and thighs being too long, and too large 
 for the upper parts. And Andrea Sacchi, one of the 
 great Italian painters, seems to have been of the same 
 opinion, or he would hardly have given his Apollo, 
 crowning Pasquilini the musician, the exact propor- p. 8/ 
 tion of the Antinous, (in a famous picture of his now 
 in England) as otherwise it seems to be a direct copy 
 from the Apollo. 
 
 Although in very great works we often see an in- 
 ferior part neglected, yet here it cannot be the case, 
 because in a fine statue, just proportion is one of its 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 essential beauties : therefore it stands to reason that 
 these limbs must have been lengthened on purpose, 
 otherwise it might easily have been avoided. 
 
 So that if we examine the beauties of this figure 
 thoroughly, we may reasonably conclude, that what 
 has been hitherto thought so unaccountably excellent 
 in its general appearance, hath been owing to what 
 hath seemed a blemish in a part of it : but let us endea- 
 vour to make this matter as clear as possible, as it 
 may add more force to what has been said. 
 
 Statues by being bigger than life (as this is one, 
 and larger than the Antinous) always gain some no- 
 bleness in effect, according to the principle of quan- 
 tity but this alone is not sufficient to give what is 
 properly to be called, greatness in proportion; for 
 were figures 17 and 18, in plate 1, to be drawn or 
 carved by a scale of ten feet high, they would still be 
 but pigmy proportions, as, on the other hand, a figure 
 of but two inches, may represent a gigantic height. 
 
 Therefore greatness of proportion must be con- 
 sidered, as depending on the application of quantity 
 to those parts of the body where it can give more 
 P. 83 scope to its grace in movement, as to the neck for the 
 larger and swan-like turns of the head, and to the legs 
 and thighs, for the more ample sway of all the upper 
 parts together. 
 
 By which we find that the Antinous’s being equally 
 magnified to the Apollo’s height, would not suffici- 
 ently produce that superiority of effect, as to great- 
 ness, so evidently seen in the latter. The additions 
 
 1 See chap. 6 . 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 necessary to the production of this greatness in pro- 
 portion, as it there appears added to grace, must then 
 be, by the proper application of them, to the parts 
 mentioned only. 
 
 I know not how further to prove this matter than 
 by appealing to the reader’s eye, and common obser- 
 vation, as before; 
 
 The Antinous being allowed to have the justest 
 proportion possible, let us see what addition, upon 
 the principle of quantity, can be made to it, without 
 taking away any of its beauty. 
 
 If we imagine an addition of dimensions to the 
 head, we shall immediately conceive it would only de- 
 form — if to the hands or feet, we are sensible of some- 
 thing gross and ungenteel, — if to the whole lengths of 
 the arms, we feel they would be dangling and awkward 
 — if by an addition of length or breadth to the body, 
 we know it would appear heavy and clumsy — there 
 remains then only the neck, with the legs and thighs 
 to speak of; but to these we find, that not only certain 
 additions may be admitted without causing any dis- 
 agreeable effect, but that thereby greatness , the last P. ey 
 perfection as to proportion, is given to the human 
 form; as is evidently expressed in the Apollo: and may 
 still be further confirmed by examining the drawings of 
 Parmigiano, where these particulars are seen in ex- 
 cess; yet on this account his works are said, by all true 
 connoisseurs, to have an inexpressible greatness of 
 taste in them, though otherwise very incorrect. 
 
 Let us now return to the two general ideas we sat 
 out with at the beginning of this chapter, and recol- 
 lect that under the first, on surface, I have shewn in 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 what manner, and how far human proportion is mea» 
 surable, by varying the contents of the body, conform* 
 able to the given proportion of two lines. And that 
 under the second and more extensive general idea of 
 form, as arising from fitness for movement, &c. I have 
 endeavoured to explain, by every means I could de- 
 vise, that every particular and minute dimension of 
 the body, should conform to such purposes of move- 
 ment, &c. as have been first properly considered and 
 determined : on which conjunctively, the true pro- 
 portion of every character must depend ; and is found 
 so to do, by our joint-sensation of bulk and motion, 
 Which account of the proportion of the human body, 
 however imperfect, may possibly stand its ground, till 
 one more plausible shall be given, 
 
 As the Apollo * has been only mentioned on ac- 
 count of the greatness of its proportion, I think in 
 justice to so fine a performance, and also as it is not 
 P. go foreign to the point we have been upon, we may sub- 
 join an observation or two on its perfections. 
 
 Besides, what is commonly allowed, if we consider 
 it by the rules here given for constituting or compos- 
 •* character, it will discover the author’s great saga- 
 city in choosing a proportion for this deity, which has 
 served two noble purposes at once ; in that these very 
 dimensions which appear to have given it so much 
 dignity, are the same that are best fitted to produce 
 the utmost speed. And what could characterise the 
 god of day, either so strongly or elegantly, to be ex* 
 pressive in a statue, as superior swiftness, and beauty 
 
 * Fig. 12. p. 1 . 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 dignified ? and how poetically doth the action it is put 
 into, carry on the allusion to speed \ as he is lightly 
 stepping forward, and seeming to shoot his arrows from 
 him ; if the arrows may be allowed to signify the sun’s 
 rays? This at least may as well be supposed as the 
 common surmise that he is killing the dragon. Python ; 
 which certainly is very inconsistent with so erect an 
 attitude, and benign an aspect 
 
 Nor are the inferior parts neglected : the drapery 
 also that depends from his shoulders, and folds over 
 his extended arm, hath its treble office. As first, it 
 assists in keeping the general appearance within the 
 boundary of a pyramid, which being inverted, is, for 
 a single figure, rather more natural and genteel than p. 
 one upon its basis. Secondly, it fills up the vacant 
 angle under the arm and takes off the straightness of 
 the lines the arms necessarily makes with the body in 
 such an action; and lastly, spreading as it doth, in 
 pleasing folds, it helps to satisfy the eye with a noble 
 quantity in the composition altogether, without de- 
 priving the beholder of any part of the beauties of the 
 naked : in short, this figure might serve, were a lec- 
 ture to be read over it, to exemplify every principle 
 that hath been hitherto advanced. We shall therefore 
 close not only all we have to say on proportion with 
 it, but our whole lineal account of form, except what 
 we have particularly to offer as to the face ; which it 
 
 1 the sun : which cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his 
 
 chamber, and rejoiceth as a giant to run his course. Psalm xix. 5. 
 
 2 The accounts given, in relation to this statue, make it so highly 
 probable that it was the great Apollo of Delphos, that, for my own 
 part, I make no manner of doubt of its being so. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 will be proper to defer, till we have spoken of light and 
 shade and colour. 
 
 As some of the ancient statues have been of such 
 singular use to me, I shall beg leave to conclude this 
 chapter with an observation or two on them in general. 
 
 It is allowed by the most skilful in the imitative 
 arts, that though there are many of the remains of an- 
 tiquity, that have great excellencies about them ; yet 
 there are not, moderately speaking, above twenty 
 that may be justly called capital. "I here is one reason, 
 nevertheless, besides the blind veneration that gene- 
 rally is paid to antiquity, for holding even many very 
 imperfect pieces in some degree of estimation: I mean 
 that peculiar taste of elegance which so visibly runs 
 through them all, down to the most incorrect of their 
 P. 92 basso-relievos : which taste , I am persuaded, my 
 reader will now conceive to have been entirely owing 
 to the perfect knowledge the ancients must have had 
 of the use of the precise serpentine-line. 
 
 But this cause of elegance not having been since 
 sufficiently understood, no wonder such effects should 
 have appeared mysterious, and have drawn mankind 
 into a sort of religious esteem, and even bigotry, to 
 the works of antiquity. 
 
 Nor have there been wanting of artful people, who 
 have made good profit of those whose unbounded ad- 
 miration hath run them into enthusiasm. Nay there 
 are, I believe, some who still carry on a comfortable 
 trade in such originals as have been so defaced and 
 maimed by time, that it would be impossible, without 
 a pair of double-ground connoisseur-spectacles, to see 
 whether they have ever been good or bad: they 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 deal also in cooked-up copies, which they are very 
 apt to put off for originals. And whoever dares be 
 bold enough to detect such impositions, finds him- 
 self immediately branded, and given out as one of low 
 ideas, ignorant of the true sublime, self-conceited, 
 envious, &c. 
 
 But as there are a great part of mankind that 
 delight most in what they least understand ; for aught 
 I know, the emolument may be equal between the 
 bubler and the bubled: at least this seems to have been 
 Butler’s opinion : 
 
 Doubtless the pleasure is as great 
 In being cheated, as to cheat. 
 
 <7 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 OF LIGHT AND SHADE, 
 
 AND THE MANNER IN WHICH OBJECTS ARE EXPLAINED TO 
 THE EYE BY THEM. 
 
 P.gs Although both this and the next chapter may seem 
 more particularly relative to the art of painting, than 
 any of the foregoing; yet, as hitherto, I have endea- 
 voured to be understood by every reader, so here also 
 I shall avoid, as much as the subject will permit, 
 speaking of what would only be well conceived by 
 painters. 
 
 There is such a subtile variety in the nature of 
 appearances, that probably we shall not be able to 
 gain much ground by this enquiry, unless we exert 
 and apply the full use of every sense, that will con- 
 vey to us any information concerning them. 
 
 So far as we have already gone, the sense of feel- 
 ing, as well as that of seeing, hath been applied to ; 
 so that perhaps a man born blind, may, by his better 
 touch that is common to those who have their sight, 
 together with the regular process that has been here 
 given of lines, so feel out the nature of forms, as to 
 make a tolerable judgment of what is beautiful to 
 sight. 
 
 Here again our other senses must assist us, not- 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 withstanding in this chapter we shall be more con- 
 fined to what is communicated to the eye by rays of 
 light; and though things must now be considered as 
 appearances only ; produced and made out merely by p. 
 means of lights , shades , and colours . 
 
 By the various circumstances of which, every one 
 knows we have represented on the flat surface of the 
 looking-glass, pictures equal to the originals reflected 
 by it. The painter too, by proper dispositions of lights, 
 shades, and colours on his canvass, will raise the like 
 ideas. Even prints, by means of lights and shades 
 alone, will perfectly inform the eye of every shape 
 and distance whatsoever, in which even lines must be 
 considered as narrow parts of shade, a number of 
 them, drawn or engraved neatly side by side, called 
 hatching , serve as shades in prints, and when they are 
 artfully managed, are a kind of pleasing sucoedaneum 
 to the delicacy of nature’s. 
 
 Could mezzotinto prints be wrought as accurately 
 as those with the graver, they would come nearest 
 to nature, because they are done without strokes 
 or lines. 
 
 I have often thought that a landksip, in the pro- 
 cess of this way of representing it, doth a little resem- 
 ble the first coming on of day. The copper-plate it 
 is done upon, when the artist first takes it into hand, 
 is wrought all over with an edged-tool, so as to make 
 it print one even black, like night : and his whole 
 work after this, is merely introducing the lights into 
 it; which he does by scraping off the rough grain 
 according to his design, artfully smoothing it most 
 where light is most required : but as he proceeds in 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 P. 95 burnishing the lights, and clearing up the shades, he 
 is obliged to take off frequent impressions to prove the 
 progress of the work, so that each proof appears like 
 the different times of a foggy morning, till one be- 
 comes so finished as to be distinct and clear enough to 
 imitate a day-light piece. I have given this description 
 because I think the whole operation, in the simplest 
 manner, shews what lights and shades alone will do. 
 
 As light must always be supposed, I need only 
 speak of such privations of it as are called shades or 
 shadows, wherein I shall endeavour to point out and 
 regularly describe a certain order and arrangement in 
 their appearance, in which order we may conceive 
 different kinds of softenings and modulations of the 
 rays of light which are said to fall upon the eye from 
 every object it sees, and to cause those more or less 
 pleasing vibrations of the optic nerves, which serve to 
 inform the mind concerning every different shape or 
 figure that presents itself. 
 
 The best light for seeing the shadows of objects 
 truly, is, that which comes in at a common sized win- 
 dow, where the sun doth not shine ; I shall therefore 
 speak of their order as seen by this kind of light : and 
 shall take the liberty in the present and following 
 chapter, to consider colours but as variegated shades, 
 which together with common shades, will now be 
 divided into two general parts or branches, 
 p gQ The first we shall call prime tints, by which is 
 meant any colour or colours on the surfaces of objects ; 
 and the use we shall make of these different hues will 
 be to consider them as shades to one another. Thus 
 gold is a shade to silver, &c. exclusive of those addi- 
 
ANALYSIS 01' BEAUTY. 
 
 tional shades which may be made in any degree by 
 the privation of light. 
 
 The second branch maybe called retiring shades, 
 which gradate or go off by degrees, as fig *. These 
 shades, as they vary more or less, produce beauty, 
 whether they are occasioned by the privation of light, 
 or made by the pencilings of art or nature. 
 
 When I come to treat of colouring, I shall parti- 
 cularly shew in what manner the gradating of prime 
 tints serve to the making a beautiful complexion ; in 
 this place we shall only observe how nature hath by 
 these gradating shades ornamented the surfaces of 
 animals ; fish generally have this kind of shade from 
 their backs downward ; birds have their feathers en- 
 riched with it; and many flowers, particularly the rose, 
 shew it by the gradually increasing colours of their 
 leaves. 
 
 The sky always gradates one way or other, and 
 the rising or setting sun exhibits it in great perfec- 
 tion, the imitating of which was Claud, de Lorain’s 
 peculiar excellence, and is now Mr. Lambert’s ; 
 there is so much of what is called harmony to the eye 
 to be produced by this shade, that I believe we may 
 venture to say, in art it is the painter’s gamut, which p. 97 
 nature has sweetly pointed out to us in what we call 
 the eyes of a peacock’s tail : and the nicest needle- 
 workers are taught to weave it into every flower and 
 leaf, right or wrong, as if it was as constantly to be 
 observed as it is seen in flames of fire ; because it is 
 always found to entertain the eye. There is a sort of 
 
 * Fig. 34. T. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF T5EAUTY. 
 
 needle-work called Irish-stitch, done in these shades 
 only ; which pleases still, though it has long been out 
 of fashion. 
 
 There is so strict an analogy between shade and 
 sound, that they may well serve to illustrate each 
 other’s qualities : for as sounds gradually decreasing 
 and increasing give the idea of progression from, or to 
 the ear, just so do retiring shades shew progression, 
 by figuring it to the eye. Thus, as by objects grow- 
 ing still fainter, we judge of distances in prospects, so 
 by the decreasing noise of thunder, we form the idea 
 of its moving further from us. And, with regard to 
 their similitude in beauty, like as the gradating shade 
 pleases the eye, so the increasing, or swelling note, 
 delights the ear. 
 
 I have called it the retiring shade, because by the 
 successive, or continual change in its appearance, it 
 is equally instrumental with converging iines 1 , in shew- 
 ing how much objects, or any parts of them, retire or 
 recede from the eye ; without which, a floor, or hori- 
 zontal-plane, would often seem to stand upright like 
 98 a wall. And notwithstanding all the other ways by 
 which we learn to know at what distances things are 
 from us, frequent deceptions happen to the eye on ac- 
 count of deficiencies in this shade : for if the light 
 chances to be so disposed on objects as not to give 
 this shade its true gradating appearance, not only 
 spaces are confounded, but round things appear flat, 
 and flat ones round. 
 
 1 See p. 7 . The two converging lines from the ship, to the 
 point C, under fig. 47, plate J . 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 But although the retiring shade hath this property, 
 when seen with converging lines, yet if it describes 
 no particular form, as none of those do in fig. 94, on 
 top of plate 2, it can only appear as a flat penciled 
 shade ; but being inclosed within someknown boundary 
 or outline, such asmaj^ signify a wall, a road, a globe, 
 or any other form in perspective where the parts retire, 
 it will then shew its retiring quality : as for example, 
 the retiring shade on the floor, in plate 2, which gra- 
 dates from the dog’s feet to those of the dancer s, 
 shews, that by this means a level appearance is given 
 to the ground : so when a cube is put into true per- 
 spective on paper, w T ith lines only, which do but barely 
 hint the directions every face of it is meant to take, 
 these shades make them seem to retire just as the 
 perspective lines direct; thus mutually completing 
 the idea of those recessions which neither of them 
 alone could do. 
 
 Moreover, the outline of a globe is but a circle on 
 the paper ; yet according to the manner of filling up 
 the space within it, with this shade, it may be made 
 to appear either flat, globular, or concave, in any of p. 
 its positions with the eye; and as each manner of fill- 
 ing up the circle for those purposes must be very 
 different, it evidently shews the necessity of distin- 
 guishing this shade into as many species or kinds, as 
 there are classes or species of lines, with which they 
 may have a correspondence. 
 
 In doing which, it will be found, that, by their 
 correspondency with, and conformity to objects, either 
 composed of straight, curved, waving or serpentine 
 lines, they of course take such appearances of variety 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 as are adequate to the variety made by those lines ; 
 and by this conformity of shades we have the same 
 ideas of any of the objects composed of the above lines 
 in their front aspects, as we have of them by their 
 profiles ; which otherwise could not be without feel- 
 ing them. 
 
 Now instead of giving engraved examples of each 
 species of shade, as I have done of lines, I have found 
 that they may be more satisfactorily pointed out and 
 described by having recourse to the life. 
 
 But in order to the better and more precisely fix- 
 ing upon what may be there seen, as the distinct 
 species, of which all the shades of the retiring kind in 
 nature partake, in some degree or other, the follow- 
 ing scheme is offered, and intended as an additional 
 means of making such simple impressions in the 
 mind, as may be thought adequate to the four species 
 of lines described in chapter 27. Wherein we are to 
 suppose imperceptible degrees of shade gradating 
 loo from one figure to another. The first species to be 
 represented by, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 . 
 the second by, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 . 
 and the third by, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,2, 3, 4, 5 , 4, 3, 2, 1,2,3, 4, 5. 
 gradating from the dots underneath, repeated either 
 way. 
 
 As the first species varies or gradates but one way, 
 it is therefore least ornamental, and equal only to 
 straight lines. 
 
 The second gradating contrary ways, doubling the 
 others variety, is consequently twice as pleasing, and 
 thereby equal to curved lines. 
 
 The third species gradating doubly contrary ways, 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 is thereby still more pleasing in proportion to that 
 quadruple variety which makes it become capable of 
 conveying to the mind an equivalent in shade, which 
 expresses the beauty of the waving line, when it can- 
 not be seen as a line.. 
 
 The retiring shade, adequate to the serpentine 
 line, now should follow ; but as the line itself could 
 not be expressed on paper, without the figure of a 
 cone *, so neither can this shade be described without 
 the assistance of a proper form, and therefore must be 
 deferred a little longer. 
 
 When only the ornamental quality of shades is 
 spoken of, for the sake of distinguishing them from 
 retiring shades, let them be considered as pencilings 
 only ; whence another advantage will arise, which is, 
 that then all the intervening mixtures, with their de- P. ioi 
 grees of beauty between each species, may be as 
 easily conceived, as those have been between each 
 class of lines. 
 
 And now let us have recourse to the experiments 
 in life, for such examples as may explain the retiring 
 power of each species ; since, as has been before ob- 
 served, they must be considered together with their 
 proper forms, or else their properties cannot be well 
 distinguished. 
 
 All the degrees of obliquity that planes, or flat sur- 
 faces are capable of moving into, have their appear- 
 ances of recession perfected by the first species of re- 
 tiring shades, which may evidently be seen by setting 
 
 * See Fig. 2(5. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 opposite a door, as it is opening outwards from the 
 eye, and fronting one light. 
 
 But it will be proper to premise, that when it is 
 quite shut, and flat or parallel to the eye and window, 
 it will only have a penciling shade gradating upon it, 
 and spreading all around from the middle, but which 
 will not have the power of giving the idea of recession 
 any way, as when it opens, and the lines run in per- 
 spective to a point ; because the square figure or 
 parallel lines of the door, do not correspond with such 
 shade; but let a door be circular in the same situation, 
 and all without side, or round about it, painted of any 
 other colour, to make its figure more distinctly seen, 
 and it will immediately appear concave like a bason, 
 the shade continually retiring; because this circular 
 P. 102 species of shade would then be accompanied by its 
 corresponding form, a circle \ 
 
 But to return ; we observed that all the degrees of 
 obliquity in the moving of planes or flat surfaces, have 
 the appearances of their recession perfected to the eye 
 by the first species of retiring shade. For example, 
 then ; when the door opens, and goes from its parallel 
 situation with the eye, the shade last spoken of, 
 may be observed to alter and change its round gra- 
 dating appearance into that of gradating one way 
 only ; as when a standing water takes a current upon 
 the least power given it to descend. 
 
 1 Note, if the light were to come in at a very little hole not far 
 from the door, so as to make the gradation sudden and strong, like 
 what may be made with a small candle held near a wall or a wainscot* 
 the bason would appear the deeper for it. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 Note, if the light should come in at the door-way, 
 instead of the window, the gradation then would be 
 reversed, but still the effect of recession would be just 
 the same, as this shade ever complies with the per- 
 spective lines. 
 
 In the next place, let us observe the ovolo, or 
 quarter-round in a cornice, fronting the eye in like 
 manner, by which may be seen an example of the 
 second species; where, on its most projecting part, 
 a line of light is seen, from whence these shades retire 
 contrary ways, by which the curvature is understood. 
 
 And, perhaps, in the very same cornice may be 
 seen an example of the third species, in that orna- 
 mental member called by the architects cyma recta , or P. 103 
 talon, which indeed is no more than a larger sort of 
 waving or ogee moulding ; wherein, by the convex 
 parts gently gliding into the concave, you may see 
 four contrasted gradating shades, shewing so rtiany 
 varied recessions from the eye ; by which we are made 
 as sensible of its waving form as if we saw the profile 
 out-line of some corner of it, where it is mitred, as the 
 joiners term it. Note, when these objects have a 
 little gloss on them these appearances are most 
 distinct. 
 
 Lastly, the serpentine shade may be seen (light 
 and situation as before) by the help of the following 
 
 Note also, that when planes are seen parallel to the eye in open 
 day-light, they have scarce any round gradating or penciling shade at 
 all, but appear merely as uniform prime tints, because the rays of 
 light are equally diffused upon them. Nevertheless, give them but 
 obliquity, they will more or less exhibit the retiring shade. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 figure, as thus ; imagine the horn, figure 57, plate 2, 
 to be of so soft a nature, that with the fingers only, it 
 might be pressed into any shape ; then beginning 
 gently from the middle of the dotted line, but pressing 
 harder and harder all the way up the lesser end, by 
 such pressure there would be as much concave above, 
 as would remain convex below, which would bring it 
 equal in variety or beauty to the ogee moulding ; but 
 after this, by giving the whole a twist, like figure 58 , these 
 shades must unavoidably change their appearances, 
 and in some measure, twist about as the concave and 
 convex parts are twisted, and consequently thereby 
 P. 104 add that variety, which of course will give this species 
 of sha^e, as much the preference to the foregoing, as 
 forms composed of serpentine lines have, to those com- 
 posed only of the waving. See chap. 9- and chap. 10. 
 
 I should not have given my reader the trouble of 
 completing, by the help of his imagination, the fore- 
 going figure, but as it may contribute to the more 
 ready and particular conception of that intricate 
 variety, which twisted figures give to this species of 
 shade, and to facilitate his understanding the cause of 
 its beauty, wherever it may be seen chi surfaces of 
 ornament, when it will be found no where more con-, 
 spicuous than in a fine face, as will be seen upon fur- 
 ther enquiry. 
 
 The dotted line*, which begins from the concave 
 part, under the arch of the brow, near the nose, and 
 from thence winding down by the corner of the eye, 
 and there turning obliquely with the round of the 
 
 * Fig. 97. B.p. l. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 cheek, shews the course of that twist of shades in a 
 face, which was before described by the horn ; and 
 which may be most perfectly seen in the life, or in a 
 marble busto, together with the following additional 
 circumstances still remaining to be described. 
 
 As a face is for the most part round, it is therefore 
 apt to receive reflected light on its shadowy side 
 which not only adds more beauty by another pleasing P. 105 
 tender gradation, but also serves to distinguish the 
 roundness of the cheeks, &c. from such parts as sink 
 and fall in : because concavities do not admit of reflec- 
 tions, as convex forms do 1 2 . 
 
 I have now only to add, that as before observed, 
 chap. 4, page 23, that the oval hath a nobles implicity 
 in it, more equal to its variety than any other object 
 in nature ; and of which the general form of a face is 
 composed ; therefore, from what has been now shewn, 
 the general gradation-shade belonging to it, must 
 consequently be adequatethereto, and which evidently 
 gives a delicate softness to the whole composition of 
 a face; insomuch that every little dent, crack, or 
 scratch, the form receives, its shadows also suffer with 
 
 1 Note, though I have advised the observing objects by a front 
 light, for the sake of the better distinguishing our four fundamental 
 species of shades, yet objects in general are more advantageously and 
 agreeably seen by light coming side-ways upon them, and therefore 
 generally chose in paintings j as it gives an additional reflected soft- 
 ness, not unlike the gentle tone of an echo in music. 
 
 2 As an instance that convex and concave would appear the same, 
 if the former were to have no reflection thrown upon, observe the 
 ovolo and cavetto, or channel, in a cornice, placed near together, and 
 seen by a front light, when they will each of them, by turns, appear 
 either concave, or convex, as fancy shall direct. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 it, and help to shew the blemish. Even the least 
 roughness interrupts and damages that soft gradating 
 play of shades which fall upon it. Mr. Dryden, de- 
 scribing the light and shades of a face, in his epistle 
 to Sir Godfrey Kneller the portrait painter, seems, by 
 the penetration of his incomparable genius, to have 
 understood that language in the works of nature, 
 which the latter, by means of an exact eye and a 
 strict obeying hand, could only faithfully transcribe; 
 when he says, 
 
 106 Where light to shades descending, plays, not strives. 
 
 Dies by degrees, and by degrees revives. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 OF COMPOSITION 
 
 WITH REGARD TO LIGHT, SHADE, AND COLOURS. 
 
 Under this head I shall attempt shewing what it is 
 that gives the appearance of that hollow or vacant 
 space in which all things move so freely ; and in what 
 manner light, shade and colours, mark or point out 
 the distances of one object from another, and occa- 
 sion an agreeable play upon the eye, called by the 
 painters a fine keeping, and pleasing composition of 
 light and shade. Herein my design is to consider 
 this matter as a performance of nature without , or be- 
 fore the eye; I mean, as if the objects with their 
 shades, &c. were in fact circumstanced as they ap- 
 pear, and as the unskilled in optics take them to be. 
 And let it be remarked throughout this chapter, that 
 the pleasure arising from composition, as in a fine 
 landskip, & c. is chiefly owing to the dispositions and 
 assemblages of light and shades, which are so ordered 
 by the principles called opposition, breadth, and 
 simplicity, as to produce a just and distinct percep- 
 tion of the objects before us. 
 
 Experience teaches us that the eye may be sub- 
 dued and forced into forming and disposing of objects 
 even quite contrary to what it would naturally see 
 
analysis of beauty. 
 
 P.107 them, by the prejudgment of the mind from the 
 better authority of feeling, or some other persuasive 
 motive. But surely this extraordinary perversion of 
 the sight would not have been suffered, did it not 
 tend to great and necessary purposes, in rectifying 
 some deficiencies which it would otherwise be subject 
 to (though we must own at the same time, that the 
 mind itself may be so imposed upon as to make the 
 eye see falsely as well as truly) for example, were it 
 not for this controul over the sight, it is well known, 
 that we should not only see things double, but upside 
 down, as they are painted upon the retina, and as 
 each eye has a distinct sight. And then as to dis- 
 tances ; a fly upon a pane of glass is sometimes 
 imagined a crow, or larger bird afar off, till some 
 circumstance hath rectified the mistake, and con- 
 vinced us of its real size and place. 
 
 Hence I would infer, that the eye generally gives 
 its assent to such space and distances as have been 
 first measured by the feeling, or otherwise calculated 
 in the mind : which measurements and calculations 
 are equally, if not more, in the power of a blind man, 
 as was fully experienced by that incomparable ma- 
 thematician and wonder of his age, the late professor 
 Sanderson. 
 
 By pursuing this observation on the faculties of the 
 mind, an idea may be formed of the means by which 
 we attain to the perception or appearance of an im- 
 mense space surrounding us; which cavity, being 
 subject to divisions and subdivisions in the mind, is 
 P. 108 afterwards fashioned by the limited power of the eye, 
 first into a hemisphere, and then into the appearance 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 of different distances, which are pictured, to it by 
 means of such dispositions of light and shade as shall 
 next be described. And these I now desire may be 
 looked upon, but as so many marks or types set upon 
 these distances, and which are remembered and learnt 
 by degrees, and when learnt, are recurred to upon all 
 occasions. 
 
 If permitted then to consider light and shades as 
 types of distinction, they become, as it w T ere, our mate- 
 rials, of which prime tints are the principal ; by these, 
 
 I mean the fixed and permanent colours of each ob- 
 ject, as the green of trees, &c. which serve the pur- 
 poses of separating and relieving the several objects 
 by the different strengths or shades of them being 
 opposed to each other *. 
 
 The other shades that have been before spoken of, 
 serve and help to the like purposes when properly op- 
 posed ; but as in nature they are continually fleeting 
 and changing their appearances, either by our or their 
 situations, they sometimes oppose and relieve, and 
 sometimes not, as for instance ; I once observed the 
 tower-part of a steeple so exactly the colour of a light 
 cloud behind it, that, at the distance I stood, there 
 was not the least distinction to be made, so that the 
 spire (of a lead colour) seemed suspended in the air 
 but had a cloud of the like tint with the steeple, sup- 
 plied the place of the white one, the tower would then 
 have been relieved and distinct, when the spire would P. 109 
 have been lost to the view. 
 
 * Fig. 86. T. p. 2. 
 
 H 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 Nor is it sufficient that objects are of different co- 
 lours or shades, to shew their distances from the eye, 
 if one does not in part hide or lay over the other, as 
 in fig. 86 . 
 
 For as fig. * the two equal balls, though one were 
 black and the other white, placed on the separate walls, 
 supposed distant from each other twenty or thirty feet, 
 nevertheless, may seem both to rest upon one, if the 
 tops of the walls are level with the eye ; but when one 
 ball hides part of the other, as in the same figure, we 
 begin to apprehend they are upon different walls, 
 which is determined by the perspective 1 : hence you 
 will see the reason, why the steeple of Bloomsbury- 
 church, in coming from Hamstead, seems to stand 
 upon Montague- house, though it is several hundred 
 yards distant from it. 
 
 Since then the opposition of one prime tint or 
 shade to another, hath so great a share in marking 
 out the recessions, or distances in a prospect, by which 
 the eye is led onward step by step, it becomes a prin- 
 ciple of consequence enough to be further discussed, 
 with regard to the management of it in compositions 
 of nature, as well as art. As to the management of 
 p. no it, when seen only from one point, the artist hath the 
 advantage over nature, because, such fixed dispositions 
 of shades as he hath artfully put together, cannot be 
 
 * Fig. 90. T. p. 2. 
 
 1 The knowledge of perspective is no small help to the seeing ob- 
 jects truly, for which purpose Dr. Brook Taylor’s Linear Perspective 
 made easy to those who are unacquainted with geometry, may be of 
 most service. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY* 
 
 displaced by the alteration of light, for which reason, 
 designs done in two prime tints only, will sufficiently 
 represent all those recessions, and give a just keeping 
 to the representation of a prospect, in a print ; where- 
 as, the oppositions in nature, depending, as has been 
 before hinted, on accidental situations and uncertain 
 incidents, do not always make such pleasing composi- 
 tion, and would therefore have been very often defi- 
 cient, had nature worked in two colours only ; for 
 which reason she hath provided an infinite number of 
 materials, not only by way of prevention, but to add 
 lustre and beauty to her works. 
 
 By an infinite number of materials, I mean colours 
 and shades of all kinds and degrees ; some notion of 
 which variety may be formed by supposing a piece of 
 white silk by several dippings gradually dyed to a 
 black ; and carrying it in like manner through the 
 prime tints of yellow, red, and blue ; and then again, 
 by making the like progress through all the mixtures 
 that are to be made of these three original colours. 
 
 So that when we survey this infinite and immense 
 variety, it is no wonder, that, let the light or objects 
 be situated or changed how they will, oppositions 
 seldom miss : nor that even every incident of shade 
 should sometimes be so completely disposed as to ad- 
 mit of no further beauty, as to composition; and from p. m 
 whence the artist hath by observation taken his prin- 
 ciples of imitation, as in the following respect. 
 
 Those objects which are intended most to affect the 
 eye, and come forwardest to the view, must have large, 
 strong, and smart oppositions, like the fore-ground in 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 fig. *, and what are designed to be thrown further off, 
 must be made still weaker and weaker, as expressed 
 in figures 86, 92, and 93, which receding in order 
 make a kind of gradation of oppositions; to which, 
 and all the other circumstances already described, 
 both for recession, and beauty, nature hath added 
 what is known by the name of aerial perspective ; 
 being that interposition of air, which throws a general 
 soft retiring tint over the whole prospect ; to be seen 
 in excess at the rising of a fog. All which again re- 
 ceives still more distinctness, as well as a greater 
 degree of variety, when the sun shines bright, and 
 casts broad shadows of one object upon another; 
 which gives the skilful designer such hints for shewing 
 broad and fine oppositions of shades, as give life and 
 spirit to his performances. 
 
 Breadth of shade is a principle that assists in 
 making distinction more conspicuous; thus fig. j*, is 
 better distinguished by its breadth or quantity of 
 shade, and viewed with more ease and pleasure at 
 any distance, than fig. J, which hath many, and these 
 but narrow shades between the folds. And for one of 
 the noblest instances of this, let Windsor-castle be 
 viewed at the rising or setting of the sun. 
 
 P. H2 Let breadth be introduced how it will, it always 
 gives great repose to the eye; as on the contrary, 
 when lights and shades in a composition are scattered 
 about in little spots, the eye is constantly disturbed, 
 and the mind is uneasy, especially if you are eager to 
 
 * Fig. 8 9 . T. p. 2. f Fig. 87. L. p. 1. * Fig. 88. L. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 understand every object in the composition, as it is 
 painful to the ear when any one is anxious to know 
 what is said in companj^, where many are talking at 
 the same time. 
 
 Simplicity (which I am last to speak of) in the 
 disposition of a great variety, is best accomplished by 
 following nature’s constant rule, of dividing composi- 
 tion into three or five parts, or parcels, see chap. 4. 
 on simplicity: the painters accordingly divide theirs 
 into fore-ground, middle-ground, and distance or 
 back-ground ; which simple and distinct quantities mass 
 together that variety which entertains theeye; as the 
 different parts of base, tenor, and treble, in a compo- 
 sition of music, entertain the ear. 
 
 Let these principles be reversed, or neglected, the 
 light and shade will appear as disagreeable as fig. 
 whereas, was this to be a composition of lights and 
 shades only, properly disposed, though ranged under 
 no particular figures, it might still have the pleasing 
 effect of a picture. And here, as it would be endless 
 to enter upon the different effects of lights and shades 
 on lucid and transparent bodies, we shall leave them 
 to the reader’s observation, and so conclude this 
 chapter. 
 
 * Fig. 91. T. p. 2. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 OE COLOURING. 
 
 j 3 By the beauty of colouring, the painters mean that 
 disposition of colours on objects, together with their 
 proper shades, which appear at the same time both 
 distinctly varied and artfully united, in compositions 
 of any kind ; but, by way of pre-eminence, it is gene- 
 rally understood of flesh-colour, when no other com- 
 position is named. 
 
 To avoid confusion, and having already said 
 enough of retiring shades, I shall now only describe 
 the nature and effect of the prime tint of flesh ; for 
 the composition of this, when rightly understood, 
 comprehends every thing that can be said of the co- 
 louring of all other objects whatever. 
 
 And herein (as has been shewn in chap. 8, of the 
 manner of composing pleasing forms) the whole pro- 
 cess will depend upon the art of varying; i. e. upon an 
 artful manner of varying every colour belonging to 
 flesh, under the direction of the six fundamental prin- 
 ciples there spoken of 
 
 But before we proceed to shew in what manner 
 these principles conduce to this design, we shall take a 
 view of nature’s curious ways of producing all sorts of 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 complexions, which ma} 7 help to further our concep- 
 tion of the principles of varying colours, so as to see 
 why they cause the effect of beauty. 
 
 1. It is well known, the fair young girl, the brown P . u4 
 old man, and the negro ; nay, all mankind, have the 
 same appearance, and are alike disagreeable to the 
 eye, when the upper skin is taken away : now to con- 
 ceal so disagreeable an object, and to produce that 
 variety of complexions seen in the world, nature hath 
 contrived a transparent skin, called the cuticula, with 
 a lining to it of a very extraordinary kind, called the 
 cutis; both which are so thin any little scald will make 
 them blister and peel off. These adhering skins are 
 more or less transparent in some parts of the body 
 than in others, arid likewise different in different per- 
 sons. The cuticula alone is like gold-beaters skin, 
 a little wet, but somewhat thinner, especially in fair 
 young people, which would shew the fat, lean, and all 
 the blood vessels, just as they lie under it, as through 
 isinglass, were it not for its lining the cutis, which is so 
 curiously constructed, as to exhibit those things be- 
 neath it which are necessary to life and motion, in 
 pleasing arrangements and dispositions of beauty. 
 
 The cutis is composed of tender threads like net- 
 work, filled with different coloured juices. The white 
 juice serves to make the very fair complexion ; yel- 
 low, makes the brunette; — brownishyellow, the ruddy 
 brown ; — green yellow, the olive ; — dark brown, the 
 mulatto; — black, the negro:— These different co* 
 loured juices, together with the different mashes of 
 the network, and the size of its threads in this or that 
 part, causes the variety of complexions. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 P.115 A description of this manner of its shewing the 
 rosy colour of the cheek, and, in like manner, the 
 bluish tints about the temple, &c. see in the profile *, 
 where you are to suppose the black strokes of the 
 print to be the white threads of the network, and 
 where the strokes are thickest, and the part blackest, 
 you are to suppose the flesh would be whitest; so that 
 the lighter part of it stands for the vermilion-colour of 
 the cheek, gradating every way. 
 
 Some persons have the network so equally wove 
 over the whole body, face and all, that the greatest 
 heat or cold will hardly make them change their co- 
 lour ; and these are seldom seen to blush, though ever 
 so bashful, whilst the texture is so fine in some young 
 women, that they redden, or turn pale, on the least 
 occasion. 
 
 I am apt to think the texture of this network is of 
 a very tender kind, subject to damage many ways, but 
 able to recover itself again, especially in youth. The 
 fair fat healthy child of 3 or 4 years old hath it in 
 great perfection ; most visible when it is moderately 
 warm, but till that age somewhat imperfect. 
 
 It is in this manner, then, that nature seems to do 
 her work. — And now let us see how by art the like 
 appearance may be made and penciled on the surface 
 of an uniform coloured statue of wax or marble ; by 
 describing which operation we shall still more particu- 
 larly point out what is to our present purpose: I mean 
 the reason why the order nature hath thus made use 
 P. ii6 of should strike us with the idea of beauty ; which by 
 
 ♦Fig. 95 . T. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 the way, perhaps may be of more use to some 
 painters than they will care to own. 
 
 There are but three original colours in painting 
 besides black and white, viz. red, yellow and blue. 
 Green, and purple, are compounded 3 the first of blue 
 and yellow, the latter of red and blue 3 however these 
 compounds being so distinctly different from the ori- 
 ginal colours, we will rank them as such. Fig. *, 
 represents mixt up, as on a painter’s pallet, scales of 
 these five original colours divided into seven classes, 
 
 1, 2 ,3, 4, 5, 6, 7- — 4, is the medium, and most bril- 
 liant class, being that which will appear a firm red, 
 when those of 5, 6, 7, would deviate into white, and 
 those of 1, 2, 3 , would sink into black, either by twi- 
 light or at a moderate distance from the eye, which 
 shews 4 to be brightest, and a more permanent co- 
 lour than the rest. But as white is nearest to light 
 
 O 
 
 it may be said to be equal if not superior in value as 
 to beauty, with class 4. therefore the classes o, 6, 7, 
 have also, almost equal beauty with it too, because 
 what they Jose of their brilliancy and permanency of 
 colour, they gain from the white or light 3 whereas 3 , 
 
 2, 1, absolutely lose their beauty by degrees as they 
 approach nearer to black, the representative of dark- 
 ness. 
 
 Let us then, for distinction and pre-eminence sake, 
 call class 4 of each colour, bloom tints , or if you please, 
 virgin tints, as the painters call them 3 and once more 
 recollect, that in the disposition of colours as well asp. ny 
 of forms, variety, simplicity, distinctness, intricacy. 
 
 * Fig. 94. T. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 uniformity and quantity, direct in giving beauty to 
 the colouring of the human frame, especially if we in- 
 clude the face, where uniformity and strong opposition 
 of tints are required, as in the eyes and mouth, which 
 call most for our attention. But for the general hue 
 of flesh now to be described, variety, intricacy, and 
 simplicity, are chiefly required. 
 
 The value of the degrees of colour being thus con- 
 sidered and ranged in order upon the pallet, figure 94, 
 let us next apply them to a busto, fig. *, of white mar- 
 ble, which maybe supposed to let every tint sink into 
 it, like as a drop of ink sinks in and spreads itself 
 upon coarse paper, whereby each tint will gradate all 
 around. 
 
 If you would have the neck of the busto tinged of 
 a very florid and lively complexion, the pencil must 
 be dipt in the bloom tints of each colour as they stand 
 one above another at No. 4. — if for a less florid, in 
 those of No. 5-— if for a very fair, from No. 6—* and so 
 on till the marble would scarce be tinged at all : let 
 therefore No. 6, be our present choice, and begin with 
 penciling on the red, as at r, the yellow tint at y, the 
 blue tint at b, and the purple or lake tint at p. 
 
 These four tints thus laid on, proceed to covering 
 the whole neck and breast, but still changing and vary- 
 ing the situations of the tints with one another, also 
 p. i is causing their shapes and sizes to differ as much as 
 possible ; red must be oftenest repeated, yellow next 
 often, purple red next, and blue but seldom, except 
 in particular parts, as the temples, backs of the hands. 
 
 * Fig. fid. R. p. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 &c. where the larger veins shew their branching shapes 
 (sometimes too distinctly) still varying those appear- 
 ances. But there are no doubt infinite variations in 
 nature from what may be called the most beautiful 
 order and disposition of the colours in flesh, not only 
 in different persons, but in diflerent parts of the same, 
 all subject to the same principles in some degree or 
 other. 
 
 Now if we imagine this whole process to be made 
 with the tender tints of class 7> as they are supposed to 
 stand, red, yellow, blue, green and purple, underneath 
 each other ; the general hue of the performance will 
 be a seeming uniform prime tint, at any little distance, 
 that is a very fair, transparent and pearl-like com- 
 plexion ; but never quite uniform as snow, ivory, mar- P. 
 ble or wax, like a poet’s mistress, for either of these 
 in living flesh would in truth be hideous. 
 
 As in nature, by the general yellowish hue of the 
 cuticula, the gradating of one colour into another ap- 
 pears to be more delicately softened and united toge- 
 ther ; so will the colours we are supposed to have been 
 laying upon the busto, appear to be more united and 
 mellowed by the oils they are ground in, which takes 
 a yellowish cast after a little time, but is apt to do 
 more mischief hereby than good 3 for which reason 
 care is taken to procure such oil as is clearest and will 
 best keep its colour 1 in oil-painting. 
 
 1 Notwithstanding the deep-rooted notion, even amongst the ma- 
 jority of painters themselves, that time is a great improver of good 
 pictures, I will undertake to shew, that nothing can be more absurd. 
 Having mentioned above the whole effect of the oil, let us now see 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 Upon the whole of this account we find, that the 
 utmost beauty of colouring depends on the great prin- 
 
 in what manner time operates on the colours themselves ; in order to 
 discover if any changes in them can give a picture more union and 
 harmony than has been in the power of a skilful master, with all his 
 rules of art, to do. When colours change at all it must be somewhat 
 in the manner following, for as they are made some of metal, some of 
 earth, some of stone, and others of more perishable materials, time 
 cannot operate on them otherwise than as by daily experience we find 
 it doth, which is, that one changes darker, another lighter, one quite 
 to a different colour, whilst another, as ultramarine, will keep its na- 
 tural brightness even in the fire. Therefore how is it possible that 
 such different materials, ever variously changing (visibly after a cer- 
 tain time) should accidently coincide with the artist’s intention, and 
 bring about the greater harmony of the piece, when it is manifestly 
 contrary to their nature, for do we not see in most collections that 
 much time disunites, untunes, blackens, and by degrees destroys even 
 the best preserved pictures. 
 
 But if for argument sake we suppose, that the colours were to fall 
 equally together, let us see what advantage this would give to any 
 sort of composition. We will begin with a flower-piece : when a 
 master hath painted a rose, a lily, an african, a gentianella, or violet, 
 with his best art, and brightest colours, how far short do they fall of 
 the freshness and rich brilliancy of naturej and shall we wish to see 
 them fall still lower, more faint, sullied, and dirtied by the hand of 
 time, and then admire them as having gained an additional beauty, 
 and call them mended and heightened, rather than fouled, and in 
 a manner destroyed $ how absurd ! instead of mellow and softened 
 therefore, always read yellow and sullied, for this is doing time the 
 destroyer but common justice. Or shall we desire to see complexions, 
 which in life are often, literally, as brilliant as the flowers above-men* 
 tioned, served in the like ungrateful manner. In a landskip, will the 
 water be more transparent, or the sky shine with a greater lustre 
 when embrowned and darkened by decay ? surely no. I own it would 
 be a pity that Mr. Addison’s beautiful description of time at work in 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 ciple of varying by all the means of varying, and on 
 the proper and artful union of that variety; which may 
 
 the gallery of pictures, and the following lines of Mr. Dryden, should 
 want a sufficient foundation ; 
 
 For time shall with his ready pencil stand, 
 
 JRetouch your figures with his ripening hand ; 
 
 Mellow your colours, and embrown the tint ; 
 
 Add every grace which time alone can grant; 
 
 To future ages shall your fame convey. 
 
 And give more beauties than he takes away. 
 
 Dryden to Kneller. 
 
 were it not that the error they are built upon, hath been a continual 
 blight to the growth of the art, by misguiding both the proficient, and 
 the encourager; and often compelling the former, contrary to his judg- 
 ment, to imitate the damaged hue of decayed pictures ; so that when 
 his works undergo the like injuries, they must have a double remove 
 from nature ; which puts it in the power of the meanest observer to 
 see his deficiencies. Whence another absurd notion hath taken rise, 
 viz. that the colours now-a-days do not stand so well as formerly; 
 whereas colours well prepared, in which there is but little art or ex- 
 pence, have, and will always have, the same properties in every age, 
 and without accidents, as damps, bad varnish, and the like, (being laid 
 separate and pure,) will stand and keep together for many years in 
 defiance of time itself. 
 
 In proof of this, let any one take a view of the ceiling at Green- 
 wich-hospital, painted by Sir James Thornhill, forty years ago, which 
 still remains fresh, strong and clear as if it had been finished but yes- 
 terday : and although several French writers have so learnedly and 
 philosophically proved, that the air of this island is too thick, or — too 
 something, for the genius of a painter, yet France in all her palaces 
 can hardly boast of a nobler, more judicious, or richer performance of 
 its kind. Note, the upper end of the hall where the royal family is 
 painted, was left chiefly to the pencil of Mr. Andrea, a foreigner, 
 after the payment originally agreed upon for the work was so much 
 reduced, as made it not worth Sir James’s while to finish the whole 
 with his own more masterly hand. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 P. 120 be farther proved by supposing the rules here laid 
 down, all or any part of them reversed. 
 
 I am apt to believe, that the not knowing nature s 
 artful and intricate method of uniting colours for the 
 production of the variegated composition, or prime 
 tint of flesh, hath made colouring, in the art of paint- 
 ing, a kind of mystery in all ages; insomuch that it 
 may fairly be said, out of the many thousands who 
 have laboured to attain it, not above ten or twelve 
 
 P. 121 painters have happily succeeded therein. Corregio 
 (who lived in a country-village, and had nothing but 
 the life to study after) is said almost to have stood 
 alone for this particular excellence. Guido, who 
 made beauty his chief aim, was always at a loss about 
 it. Poussin scarce ever obtained a glimpse of it, as 
 is manifest by his many different attempts : indeed 
 France hath not produced one remarkable good 
 colourist k 
 
 P. 122 Rubens boldly, and in a masterly manner, kept 
 his bloom tints bright, separate and distinct, but some- 
 times too much so for easel or cabinet pictures ; how- 
 ever, his manner was admirably well calculated for 
 
 , The lame excuse writers on painting have made for the many 
 great masters that have failed in this particular, is, that they purposely 
 deadened their colours, and kept them, what they affectedly called 
 chaste, that the correctness of their outlines might be seen to greater 
 advantage. Whereas colours cannot be too brilliant if properly dis- 
 posed, because the distinction of the parts are thereby made more 
 perfect ; as may be seen by comparing a marble busto with the varie- 
 gated colours of the face either in the life, or one well painted : it 
 is true, uncomposed variety, either in the features or the limbs, as 
 being daubed with many, or one colour, will so confound the parts as 
 to render them unintelligible. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 great works, to be seen at a considerable distance, 
 such as his celebrated ceiling at Whitehall-chapel 1 : 
 which upon a nearer view, will illustrate what I have 
 advanced with regard to the separate brightness of the 
 tints; and shew, what indeed is known to every paint- 
 er, that had the colours there seen so bright and sepa- 
 rate, been all smoothed and absolutely blended toge- 
 ther, they would have produced a dirty grey instead 
 of flesh-colour. The difficulty then lies in bringing 
 blue, the third original colour, into flesh, on account of 
 the vast variety introduced thereby; and this omitted, 
 all the difficulty ceases ; and a common sign-painter, 
 that lays his colours smooth, instantly becomes, in 
 point of colouring, a Rubens, a Titian, or a Corregio. 
 
 i The front of this building by Inigo Jones, is an additional ex- 
 emplification of the principles for varying the parts in building; 
 (explained by the candlesticks, &c. chap. 8.) which would appear to 
 be a stronger proof still, were a building formed of squares on squares ; 
 with squares uniformly cut in each square to be opposed to it, to 
 shew the reverse. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 OF THE FACE. 
 
 Having thus spoken briefly of light, shade and colour, 
 we now return to our lineal account of form, as pro- 
 P.123 posed (page 91 ) with regard to the face. It is an ob- 
 servation, that, out of the great number of faces that 
 have been formed since the creation of the world, no 
 two have been so exactly alike, but that the usual and 
 common discernment of the eye would discover a dif- 
 ference between them : therefore it is not unreason- 
 able to suppose, that this discernment is still capable 
 of further improvements by instructions from a me- 
 thodical enquiry ; which the ingenious Mr. Richard- 
 son, in his treatise on painting, terms the art of seeing, 
 1. I shall begin with a description of such lines as 
 compose the features of a face of the highest taste, and 
 the reverse. See fig. *, taken from an antique head, 
 which stands in the first rank of estimation : in proof 
 of this, Raphael Urbin, and other great painters and 
 sculptors, have imitated it for the characters of their 
 heroes and other great men ; and the old man’s head, 
 fig. -J-, was modelled in clay, by Fiamingo (and not in- 
 ferior in its taste of lines, to the best antique) for the 
 use of Andrea Sacchi, after which model he painted 
 
 * Fig. 97 . B. p. 1. 
 
 f Fig. 98. L. p. 1. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 all the heads in his famous picture of St. Romoaldo’s 
 dream; and this picture hath the reputation of being 
 one of the best pictures in the world \ 
 
 These examples are here chosen to exemplify and 
 confirm the force of serpentine lines in a face; and let 
 it also be observed, that in these master-pieces of art, p. 124 
 all the parts are otherwise consistent with the rules 
 heretofore laid down: I shall therefore only shew the 
 effects and use of the line of beauty. One way of 
 proving in what manner the serpentine line appears 
 to operate in this respect, may be "by pressing several 
 pieces of wire close up and down the different parts of 
 the face and features of those casts ; which wires will 
 all come off so many serpentine lines* as is partly 
 marked in fig. 97, B. p. 1. by the dotted lines. The 
 beard and hair of the head, fig. 98, being a set of loose 
 lines naturally, and therefore disposable at the painter's 
 or sculptor’s pleasure, are remarkably composed in 
 this head of nothing else but a varied play of serpen- 
 tine lines, twisting together in a flame-like manner. 
 
 But as imperfections are easier to be imitated than 
 perfections, we shall now have it in our power to ex- 
 plain the latter more fully; by shewing the reverse in 
 several degrees, down to the most contemptible mean- 
 ness that lines can be formed into. 
 
 Figure 99, is the first degree of deviation from 
 figure 97 ; where the lines are made straighter, and 
 
 1 Note, I must refer the reader to the casts of both these pieces of 
 sculpture, which are to be found in the hands of the curious ; because 
 it is impossible to express all that I intend, with sufficient accuracy, in 
 a print of this size, whatever pains might have been taken with it ; or 
 indeed in any print were it ever so large. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 I 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 reduced in quantity; deviating still more in figure 100, 
 more yet in figure 101, and yet more visibly in 102; 
 figure 103, still more so, figure 104 is totally divested 
 of all lines of elegance, like a barber’s block; and 103 
 is composed merely of such plain lines as children 
 make, when of themselves they begin to imitate in 
 P. 125 drawing a human face. It is evident, the inimitable 
 Butler was sensible of the mean and ridiculous effect 
 of such kind of lines, by the description he gives of 
 the shape of Hudibras’s beard, fig. *, 
 
 In cut and dye so like a tile, 
 
 A sudden view it would beguile. 
 
 2. With regard to character and expression ; we 
 have daily many instances which confirm the common 
 received opinion, that the face is the index of the 
 mind; and this maxim is so rooted in us, we can 
 scarce help (if our attention is a little raised) forming 
 some particular conception of the person’s mind whose 
 face we are observing, even before we receive informa- 
 tion b}^ any other means. How often is it said, on the 
 slightest view, that such a one looks like a good-natured 
 man, that he hath an honest open countenance, or 
 looks like a cunning rogue; a man of sense, or a fool, 
 &c. And how are our eyes rivetted to the aspects of 
 kings and heroes, murderers and saints ; and as we 
 contemplate their deeds, seldom fail of making appli- 
 cation to their looks. It is reasonable to believe that 
 aspect to be a true and legible representation of the 
 
 * Fig. lOo. L. p. l. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 mind, which gives every one the same idea at first 
 sight ; and is afterwards confirmed in fact: for instance, 
 all concur in the same opinion, at first sight, of a 
 downright ideot. 
 
 There is but little to be seen by childrens faces, 
 more than that they are heavy or lively ; and scarcely 
 that unless they are in motion. Very handsome faces of 
 almost any age, will hide a foolish or a wicked mindP- 126 
 till they betray themselves by their actions or their 
 words : yet the frequent awkward movements of the 
 muscles of the fool’s face, though ever so handsome, 
 is apt in time to leave such traces up and down it, as 
 will distinguish a defect of mind upon examination : 
 but the bad man, if he be an hypocrite, may so ma- 
 nage his muscles, by teaching them to contradict his 
 heart, that little of his mind can be gathered from his 
 countenance, so that the character of an hypocrite is 
 entirely out of the power of the pencil, without some 
 adjoining circumstance to discover him, as smiling 
 and stabbing at the same time, or the like. 
 
 It is by the natural and unaffected movements of 
 the muscles, caused by the passions of the mind, that 
 every man’s character would in some measure be 
 written in his face, by that time he arrives at forty years 
 of age, were it not for certain accidents which often, 
 though not always prevent it. For the ill-natured 
 man, by frequently frowning, and pouting out the 
 muscles of his mouth, doth in time bring those parts 
 to a constant state of the appearance of ill-nature, 
 which might have been prevented by the constant 
 affectation of a smile ; and so of the other passions : 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 though there are some that do not affect the muscles 
 at all simply of themselves, as love and hope. 
 
 But lest I should be thought to lay too great a 
 stress on outward shew, like a physiognomist, take 
 P. 127 this with you, that it is acknowledged there are so 
 many different causes which produce the same kind 
 of movements and appearances of the features, and 
 so many thwartings by accidental shapes in the make 
 of faces, that the old adage, fronti nulla fides, will ever 
 stand its ground upon the whole ; and for very wise 
 reasons nature hath thought fit it should. But, on the 
 other hand, as in many particular cases, we receive 
 information from the expressions of the countenance, 
 what follows is meant to give a lineal description of 
 the language written therein. 
 
 It may not be amiss just to look over the passions 
 of the mind, from tranquillity to extreme despair ; as 
 they are in order described in the common drawing- 
 book, called, Le Brun’s passions of the mind; selected 
 from that great master’s works for the use of learners ; 
 where you may have a compendious view of all the 
 common expressions at once. And although these 
 are but imperfect copies, they will answer our purpose 
 in this place better than any other thing I can refer 
 you to ; because the passions are there ranged in 
 succession, and distinctly marked with lines only, the 
 shadows being omitted. 
 
 Some features are formed so as to make this or 
 that expression of a passion more or less legible ; for 
 example, the little narrow Chinese eye suits a loving 
 or laughing expression best, as a large full eye doth 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 those of fierceness and astonishment; and round-rising 
 muscles will appear with some degree of chearfulness 
 even in sorrow : the features thus suiting with the 
 expressions that have been often repeated in the face, 
 at length mark it with such lines as sufficiently distin- 
 guish the character of the mind. 
 
 The ancients in their lowest characters have shewn 
 as much judgment, and as great a degree of taste in 
 the management and twisting of the lines of them, as 
 in their statues of a sublimer kind ; in the former va- 
 rying only from the precise line of grace in some parts 
 where the character or action required it. The dying 
 gladiator and the dancing fawn, the former a slave, 
 the latter a wild clown, are sculptored in as high a 
 taste of lines as the Antinous or the Apollo; with this 
 difference, that the precise line of grace abounds more 
 in the two last : notwithstanding which it is generally 
 allowed there is equal merit in the former, as there is 
 near as much judgment required for the execution of 
 them. Human nature can hardly be represented more 
 debased than in the character of the Silenus, fig. *, 
 where the bulging-line figure 49, No. 7, runs through 
 all the features of the face, as well as the other parts 
 of his swinish body : whereas in the satyr of the wood, 
 though the ancients have joined the brute with the 
 man, we still see preserved an elegant display of ser- 
 pentine lines, that make it a graceful figure. 
 
 Indeed the works of art have need of the whole 
 advantage of this line to make up for its other defici- 
 encies: for though in nature’s works the line of beauty 
 
 ’. 128 
 
 * Fig. lo;. p. J. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY'. 
 
 is often neglected, or mixed with plain lines, yet so far 
 are they from being defective on this account, that by 
 P. 129 this means there is exhibited that infinite variety of 
 human forms which always distinguishes the hand of 
 nature from the limited and insufficient one of art; 
 and as thus she for the sake of variety upon the whole, 
 deviates sometimes into plain and inelegant lines, if 
 the poor artist is but able now and then to correct and 
 give a better taste to some particular part of what he 
 imitates, by having learnt so to do from her more per- 
 fect works, or copying from those that have, ten to one 
 he grows vain upon it, and fancies himself a nature- 
 mender; not considering that even in these, the 
 meanest of her works, she is never wholly destitute of 
 such lines of beauty and other delicacies, as are not 
 only beyond his narrow reach, but are seen wanting- 
 even in the most celebrated attempts to rival her. But 
 to return, 
 
 As to what we call plain lines, there is this remark- 
 able effect constantly produced by them, that being 
 more or less conspicuous in any kind of character or 
 expression of the face, they bring along with them 
 certain degrees of a foolish or ridiculous aspect. 
 
 It is the inelegance of these lines which more pro- 
 perly belonging to inanimate bodies, and being seen 
 where lines of more beauty and taste are expected, 
 that renders the face silly and ridiculous. See chap. 
 6 , p. SI. 
 
 Children in infancy have movements in the mus- 
 cles of their faces peculiar to their age, as an unin- 
 formed and unmeaning stare, an open mouth, and 
 simple grin : all which expressions are chiefly formed 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 of plain curves, and these movements and expressions?. 130 
 ideots are apt to retain ; so that in time they mark 
 their faces with these uncouth lines ; and when the 
 lines coincide and agree with the natural forms of the 
 features, it becomes a more apparent and confirmed 
 character of an ideot. These plain shapes last men- 
 tioned, sometimes happen to people of the best sense, 
 to some when the features are at rest, to others when 
 they are put into motion ; which a variety of constant 
 regular movements proceeding from a good under- 
 standing, and fashioned by a genteel education, will 
 often by degrees correct into lines of more elegance. 
 
 That particular expression likewise of the face, or 
 movement of a feature which becomes one person, 
 shall be disagreeable in another, just as such expres- 
 sions or turns chance to fall in with lines of beauty, 
 or the reverse ; for this reason there are pretty frowns 
 and disagreeable smiles : the lines that form a pleasing 
 smile about the corners of the mouth have gentle 
 windings, as fig. *, but lose their beauty in the full 
 laugh, as fig. j*, the expression of excessive laughter, 
 oftener than any other, gives a sensible face a silly or 
 disagreeable look, as it is apt to form regular plain 
 lines about the mouth, like a parenthesis, which some- 
 times appears like crying; as on the contrary, I re- 
 member to have seen a beggar who had clouted up 
 his head very artfully, and whose visage was thin and 
 pale enough to excite pity, but his features were other- 
 wise so unfortunately formed for his purpose, thatp.isi 
 
 * Fig. 108 . L. p. 2. 
 
 f Fig. 109. L. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 what he intended for a grin of pain and misery, was 
 rather a joyous laugh. 
 
 It is strange that nature hath afforded us so many 
 lines and shapes to indicate the deficiencies and ble- 
 mishes of the mind, whilst there are none at all that 
 point out the perfections of it beyond the appearance 
 of common sense and placidity. Deportment, words, 
 and actions, must speak the good, the wise, the witty, 
 the humane,the generous, the merciful, and the brave. 
 Nor are gravity and solemn looks always signs of wis- 
 dom : the mind much occupied with trifles will occa- 
 sion as grave and sagacious an aspect, as if it was 
 charged with matters of the utmost moment; the 
 balance-master’s attention to a single point, in order 
 to preserve his balance, may look as w r ise at that time 
 as the greatest philosopher in the depth of his studies. 
 All that the ancient sculptors could do, notwithstand- 
 ing their enthusiastic endeavours to raise the charac- 
 ters of their deities to aspects of sagacity above 
 human, was to give them features of beauty. Their 
 god of wisdom hath no more in his look than a hand- 
 some manliness; the Jupiter is carried somewhat 
 higher, by giving it a little more severity than the 
 Apollo, by a larger prominency of brow 7 gently bend- 
 ing in seeming thoughtfulness, with an ample beard, 
 which being added to the noble quantity of its other 
 lines, invests that capital piece of sculpture with un- 
 common dignity, which in the mysterious language 
 of a profound connoisseur, is stiled a divine idea, in- 
 conceivably great, and above nature. 
 
 P.132 3dly and lastly, I shall shew in what manner the 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 lines of the face alter from infancy upwards, and spe- 
 cify the different ages. We are now to pay most 
 attention to simplicity , as the difference of ages we are 
 about to speak of, turn chiefly upon the use made of 
 this principle in a greater or less degree, in the form 
 of the lines. 
 
 From infancy till the body has done growing, the 
 contents both of the body and the face, and every part 
 of their surface, are daily changing into more variety, 
 till they obtain a certain medium (see page 78 on pro- 
 portion) from which medium, as fig. *, if we return 
 back to infancy, we shall see the variety decreasing, 
 till by degrees that simplicity in the form, which gave 
 variety its due limits, deviates into sameness; so that 
 all the parts of the face may be circumscribed in several 
 circles, as fig. f. 
 
 But there is another very extraordinary circum- 
 stance, (perhaps never taken notice of before in this 
 light) which nature hath given us to distinguish one age 
 from another by ; which is, that though every feature 
 grows larger and longer, till the whole person has done 
 growing,the sight of the eye still keeps its original size; 
 
 I mean the pupil, with its iris or ring; for the diame- 
 ter of this circle continues still the same, and so be- 
 comes a fixed measure by which we, as it were, insen- 
 sibly compare the daily perceived growings of the 
 other parts of the face, and thereby determine a young 
 person’s age. You may sometimes find this part of 
 the eye in a new-born infant full as large as in a p.133 
 
 Fig. 113. B. p. 2. 
 
 t Fig. 116. L. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 man of six foot ; nay sometimes larger, see fig. 
 and j*. 
 
 In infancy the faces of boys and girls have no visi- 
 ble difference J, but as they grow up the features of 
 the boy get the start, and grow faster in proportion to 
 the ring of the eye, than those of the girl, which shews 
 the distinction of the sex in the face. Boys who have 
 larger features than ordinary, in proportion to the 
 rings of their eyes, are what we call manly-featured 
 children; as those who have the contrary, look more 
 childish and younger than they really are. It is this 
 proportion of the features with the eyes, that makes 
 women, when they are dressed in men’s clothes, look 
 so young and boyish : but as nature doth not always 
 stick close to these particulars, we may be mistaken 
 both in sexes and ages. 
 
 By these obvious appearances, and the differences 
 of the whole size, we easily judge of ages till twenty, 
 but not with such certainty afterwards; for the altera- 
 tions from that age are of a different kind, subject to 
 other changes by growing fatter or leaner, which it 
 
 * Fig. 110. B. p. 2. t Fig. 114 . B. p. 2. 
 
 | Fig. 115 . T. p. 1 . which represents three different sizes of the 
 pupil of the eye ; the least, was exactly taken from the eye of a large- 
 featured man, aged 105 , the biggest, from one of twenty, who had 
 this part larger than ordinary, and the other is the common size. If 
 this part of the eye in the pictures of Charles II. and James II. 
 painted by Vandyke at Kensington, were to be measured with a pair 
 of compasses and compared with their pictures painted by Lilly when 
 they were men, the diameters would be found in both pictures re- 
 spectively the same. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 is well known often give a different turn to the look 
 of the person, with regard to his age. 
 
 The hair of the head, which encompasses a face as 
 a frame doth a picture, and contrasts with its uniform 
 colour, the variegated inclosed composition, adding 
 more or less beauty thereto, according as it is disposed 
 by the rules of art, is another indication of advanced 
 age. 
 
 What remains to be said on the different appear- p. 134 
 ances of ages, being less pleasing than what has gone 
 before, shall be described with more brevity. In the 
 age from twenty to thirty, barring accidents, there ap- 
 pears but little change, either in the colours or the 
 lines of the face; for though the bloom tints may go 
 off a little, yet on the other hand, the make of the 
 features often attain a sort of settled firmness in them, 
 aided by an air of acquired sensibility; which makes 
 ample amends for that loss, and keeps beauty till 
 thirty pretty much upon a par; after this time, as the 
 alterations grow more and more visible, we perceive 
 the sweet simplicity of many rounding parts of the face 
 begin to break into dented shapes, with more sudden 
 turns about the muscles, occasioned by their many re- 
 peated movements; as also by dividing the broad parts, 
 and thereby taking off the large sweeps of the serpen- 
 tine lines; the shades of beauty also consequently suf- 
 fering in their softnesses. Something of what is here 
 meant between the two ages of thirty and fifty, see 
 in figures *, and what further havock time continues 
 
 * Fig. 117 . and Fig. 118. B. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 to make after the age of fifty, is too remarkable to 
 need describing: the strokes and cuts he then lays on 
 are plain enough; however, in spite of all his malice, 
 those lineaments that have once been elegant, retain 
 their flowing turns in venerable age, leaving to the 
 last a comely piece of ruins. 
 
 r 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 OF ATTITUDE. 
 
 Such dispositions of the body and limbs as appear p. i 35 
 most graceful when seen at rest, depend upon gentle 
 winding contrasts, mostly governed by the precise 
 serpentine line, which in attitudes of authority, are 
 more extended and spreading than ordinary, but re- 
 duced somewhat below the medium of grace, in those 
 of negligence and ease : and as much exaggerated in 
 insolent and proud carriage, or in distortions of pain 
 (see figure 9, plate I.) as lessened and contracted into 
 plain and parallel lines, to express meanness, awkward- 
 ness, and submission. 
 
 The general idea of an action, as well as of an 
 attitude, may be given with a pencil in very few lines. 
 
 It is easy to conceive that the attitude of a person 
 upon the cross, may be fully signified by the two 
 straight lines of the cross ; so the extended manner of 
 St. Andrew’s crucifixion is wholly understood by the 
 X-like cross. 
 
 Thus, as two or three lines at first are sufficient to 
 shew the intention of an attitude, I will take this op- 
 portunity of presenting my reader (who may have been 
 at the trouble of following me thus far) with the sketch 
 of a country-dance, in the manner I began to set ou t 
 the design ; in order to shew how few lines are neces- 
 sary to express the first thoughts, as to different atti- P.136 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 tudes ; see fig *, which describe in some measure, the 
 several figures and actions, mostly of the ridiculous 
 kind, that are represented in the chief part of plate 2. 
 
 The most amiable person may deform his general 
 appearance by throwing his body and limbs into plain 
 lines, but such lines appear still in amore disagreeable 
 light in people of a particular make, I have therefore 
 chose such figures as I thought would agree best with 
 my first score of lines, fig. 71* 
 
 The two parts of curves next to 71? served for the 
 figures of the old woman and her partner at the farther 
 end of the room. The curve and two straight lines at 
 right angles, gave the hint for the fat man’s sprawling 
 posture. I next resolved to keep a figure within the 
 bounds of a circle, which produced the upper part of 
 the fat woman, between the fat man and the awkward 
 one in the bag wig, for whom I had made a sort of an 
 X. The prim lady, his partner, in the riding-habit, 
 by pecking back her elbows, as they call it, from the 
 waist upwards, made a tolerable D, with a straight 
 line under it, to signify the scanty stiffness of her peti- 
 coat; and a Z stood for the angular position the body 
 makes with the legs and thighs of the affected fellow 
 in the tye wig; the upper parts of his plump partner 
 was confined to an O, and this changed into a P, 
 served as a hint for the straight lines behind. The 
 uniform diamond of a card, was filled up by the flying 
 P. 137 dress, &c. of the little capering figure in the spencer- 
 wig; whilst a double L marked the parallel position 
 of his poking partner’s hands and arms: and lastly. 
 
 * Fig. 71. T. p. 2 . 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 the two waving lines were drawn for the more genteel 
 turns of the two figures at the hither end. 
 
 The best representation in a picture, of even the most 
 elegant dancing, as every figure is rather a suspended 
 action in it than an attitude, must be always some- 
 what unnatural and ridiculous ; for were it possible 
 in a real dance to fix every person at one instant of 
 time, as in a picture, not one in twenty would appear 
 to be graceful, though each were ever so much so in 
 their movements ; nor could the figure of the dance 
 itself be at all understood. 
 
 The dancing-room is also ornamented purposely 
 with such statues and pictures as may serve to a far- 
 ther illustration. Henry the Eighth, fig. *, makes a 
 perfect X with his legs and arms ; and the position 
 of Charles the First, fig. f, is composed of less varied 
 lines than the statue of Edward the Sixth, fig. J, and 
 the medal over his head is in the like kind of lines; but 
 that over Q. Elizabeth, as well as her figure, is in the 
 contrary ; so are also the two other wooden figures at 
 the end. Likewise the comical posture of astonish- 
 ment (expressed by following the direction of one 
 plain curve, as the dotted line in a French print of 
 Sancho, where Don Quixote demolishes the puppet 
 shew% fig. §,) is a good contrast to the effect of the 
 serpentine lines in the fine turn of the Samaritan 
 woman, fig. |{, taken from one of the best pictures p. 138 
 Annibal Carrache ever painted, 
 
 * Fig. 72. p. 2 . f Fig. 51. p. 2 . % Fig. 73 . p. 2 . 
 
 k Fig. 75. R. p. 2. || Fig. /4. L. p. 2. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 OF ACTION. 
 
 To the amazing variety of forms made still infinitely 
 more various in appearance by light, shade and co- 
 lour, nature hath added another way of increasing 
 that variety, still more to enhance the value of all her 
 compositions. This is accomplished by means of ac- 
 tion; the fullest display of which is put into the power 
 of the human species, and which is equally subject to 
 the same principles with regard to the effects of 
 beauty, or the reverse, as govern all the former com- 
 positions ; as is partly seen in chapter XI. on propor- 
 tion. My business here shall be, in as concise a 
 manner as possible, to particularise the application 
 of these principles to the movement of the body, and 
 therewith finish this system of variety in forms and 
 actions. 
 
 There is no one but would wish to have it in his 
 power to be genteel and graceful in the carriage of 
 his person, could it be attained with little trouble and 
 expence of time. The usual methods relied on for 
 this purpose among well-bred people, take up a con- 
 siderable part of their time : nay even those of the first 
 rank have no other recourse in these matters, than to 
 dancing-masters, and fencing-masters : dancing and 
 p. 139 fencing are undoubtedly proper, and very necessary 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 Accomplishments ; yet are they frequently very im- 
 perfect in bringing about the business of graceful 
 deportment. For although the muscles of the body 
 may attain a pliancy by these exercises, and the limbs, 
 by the elegant movement in dancing, acquire a faci- 
 lity in moving gracefully, yet for want of knowing the 
 meaning of every grace, and whereon it depends, 
 affectations and misapplications often follow. 
 
 Action is a sort of language which perhaps one 
 time or other, may come to be taught by a kind of 
 grammar-rules ; but, at present, is only got by rote 
 and imitation : and contrary to most other copyings 
 or imitations, people of rank and fortune generally 
 excel their originals, the dancing-masters, in easy be- 
 haviour and unaffected grace ; as a sense of superiority 
 makes them act without constraint ; especially when 
 their persons are well turned. If so, what can be 
 more conducive to that freedom and necessary courage 
 which make acquired grace seem easy and natural, 
 than the being able to demonstrate when we are ac- 
 tually just and proper in the least movement we per- 
 form ; whereas, for want of such certainty in the mind, 
 if one of the most finished gentlemen at court was to 
 appear as an actor on the public stage, he would find 
 himself at a loss how to move properly, and be stiff, 
 narrow* and awkward in representing even his own 
 character: the uncertainty of being right would natu- 
 rally give him some of that restraint which the unedu- 
 cated common people generally have when they ap- p. uq 
 pear before their betters. 
 
 It is known that bodies in motion always describe 
 some line or other in the air, as the whirling round of 
 
 K 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 a fire-brand apparently makes a circle, the water-fall 
 part of a curve, the arrow and bullet, by the swiftness 
 of their motions, nearly a straight line ; waving lines 
 are formed by the pleasing movement of a ship on 
 the waves. Now in order to obtain a just idea of 
 action at the same time to be judiciously satisfied of 
 being in the right in what we do, let us begin with 
 imagining a line formed in the air by any supposed 
 point at the end of a limb or part that is moved, or 
 made by the whole part, or limb - 3 or by the whole 
 body together. And that thus much of movements 
 may be conceived at once is evident, on the least re- 
 collection, for whoever has seen a fine Arabian war- 
 horse, unbacked and at liberty, and in a wanton trot, 
 cannot but remember what a large waving line his 
 rising, and at the same time pressing forward, cuts 
 through the air ; the equal continuation of which, is 
 varied by his curveting from side to side ; whilst his 
 long mane and tail play about in serpentine move- 
 ments. 
 
 After thus having formed the idea of all move- 
 ments being as lines, it will not be difficult to con- 
 ceive, that grace in action depends upon the same 
 principles as have been shewn to produce it in forms. 
 
 The next thing that offers itself to our considera- 
 tion is the force of habit and custom in action ; for a 
 great deal depends thereon. 
 
 141 The peculiar movements of each person, as the 
 gait in walking, are particularised in such lines as 
 each part describes by the habits they have contracted. 
 The nature and power of habit may be fully con- 
 ceived by the following familiar instance, as the mo- 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 tions of one part of the bodymay serve to explain those 
 of the whole. 
 
 Observe that whatever habit the fingers get in the 
 use of the pen, you see exactly delineated to the eye by 
 the shapes of the letters. Were the movements of every 
 writer’s fingers to be precisely the same, one hand-writ- 
 ing would not be known from another, but as the fin- 
 gers naturally fall into, or acquire different habits of 
 moving, every hand-writing is visibly different. Which 
 movements must tally with the letters, though they 
 are too quick and too small to be as perfectly traced 
 by the eye; but this shews what nice differences are 
 caused, and constantly retained by habitual move- 
 ments. 
 
 It may be remarked, that all useful habitual mo- 
 tions, such as are readiest to serve the necessary pur- 
 poses of life, are those made up of plain lines, i. e. 
 straight and circular lines, which most animals have 
 in common with mankind, though not in so extensive 
 a degree : the monkey from his make hath it suffici- 
 ently in his power to be graceful, but as reason is 
 required for this purpose, it would be impossible to 
 bring him to move genteelly. 
 
 Though I have said that the ordinary actions of 
 the body are performed in plain lines, I mean only 
 comparatively so with those of studied movements in 
 the serpentine line, for as all our muscles are ever P.142 
 ready to act, when one part is moved, (as an hand or 
 arm, by its proper movers, for raising up or draw- 
 ing down) the adjacent muscles act in some degree in 
 correspondence with them: therefore our most com- 
 mon movements are but seldom performed in such 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 absolutely mean lines, as those of jointed dolls and 
 puppets. A man must have a good deal of practice 
 to be able to mimic such very straight or round mo- 
 tions, which being incompatible with the human form, 
 are therefore ridiculous. 
 
 Let it be observed, that graceful movements in 
 serpentine lines are used but occasionally, and rather 
 at times of leisure, than constantly applied to every 
 action we make. The whole business of life may be 
 carried on without them, they being properly speak- 
 ing, only the ornamental part of gesture ; and there- 
 fore not being naturally familiarised by necessity, 
 must be acquired by precept or imitation, and reduced 
 to habit by frequent repetitions. Precept is the means 
 I should recommend as the most expeditious and ef- 
 fectual way. But before we proceed to the method 
 1 have to propose, for the more ready and sure way of 
 accustoming the limbs to a facility in the ornamental 
 way of moving; I should observe, that quick time 
 gives it spirit and vivacity, as slow time, gravity, and 
 solemnity, and further, that the latter of these allows the 
 eye an opportunity of seeing the line of grace to ad van- 
 tage, as in the address of heroes on the stage, or in 
 p. 143 any solemn act of ceremony ; and that although time 
 in movement is reduced to certain rules for dancing, 
 it is left more at large and at discretion for deport- 
 ment. 
 
 We come now to offer an odd, but perhaps effica- 
 cious method of acquiring a habit of moving in the 
 lines of grace and beauty. 
 
 1. Let any one chalk the line fig. *, on a flat sur- 
 
 * Fig. 119. L. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 face, beginning at either end, and he will move his 
 hand and arm in a beautiful direction, but if he chalks 
 the same sort of line on an ogee-moulding of a foot 
 or two in breadth, as the dotted line on figure *, his 
 hand must move in that more beautiful direction, 
 which is distinguished by the name of grace ; and ac- 
 cording to the quantity given to those lines, greatness 
 will be added to grace ; and the movement will be 
 more or less noble. 
 
 Gentle movements of this sort thus understood, 
 may be made at any time and any where, which by 
 frequent repetitions will become so familiar to the 
 parts so exercised, that on proper occasion they make 
 them as it were of their own accord. 
 
 The pleasing effect of this manner of moving the 
 hand, is seen when a snuff-box, or fan is presented 
 gracefully or genteelly to a lady, both in the hand 
 moving forward and in its return, but care must be 
 taken that the line of movement be but gentle, as No. 
 
 3 , fig. 49 , plate 1, and not too S-like and twirling, as 
 No. 7 in the same figure: which excess would be 
 affected and ridiculous. 
 
 Daily practising these movements with the hands p. 144 
 and arms, as also with such other parts of the body as 
 are capable of them, will in a short time render the 
 whole person graceful and easy at pleasure. 
 
 2. As to the motions of the head; the awe most 
 children are in before strangers, till they come to a 
 certain age, is the cause of their dropping and drawing 
 their chins down into their breasts, and looking under 
 
 * Fig. 120. L. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 their foreheads, as if conscious of their weakness, or of 
 something wrong about them. To prevent this awk- 
 ward shyness, parents and tutors are continually teas- 
 ing them to hold up their heads, which if they get them 
 to do it is with difficulty, and of course in so con- 
 strained a manner that it gives the children pain, so 
 that they naturally take all opportunities of easing 
 themselves by holding down their heads; which pos- 
 ture would be full as uneasy to them were it not a 
 relief from restraint : and there is another misfortune 
 in holding down the head, that it is apt to make them 
 bend too much in the back ; when this happens to be 
 the case, they then have recourse to steel-collars, and 
 other iron-machines ; all which shacklings are repug- 
 nant to nature, and may make the body grow crooked. 
 This daily fatigue both to the children and the parents 
 may be avoided, and an ugly habit prevented, by only 
 (at a proper age) fastening a ribbon to a quantity of 
 platted hair, or to the cap, so as it may be kept fast in 
 its place, and the other end to the back of the coat, 
 P. 145 as fig. *, of such a length as may prevent them draw- 
 ing their chins into their necks ; which ribbon will 
 always leave the head at liberty to move in any direc- 
 tion but this awkward one they are so apt to fall 
 into. 
 
 But till children arrive at a reasoning age it will 
 be difficult by any means to teach them more grace 
 than what is natural to every well made child at 
 liberty. 
 
 The grace of the upper parts of the body is most 
 
 * Fig. 12J.L. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 engaging, and sensible well made people in any sta- 
 tion nat urally have it in a great degree, therefore rules 
 unless they are simple and easily retained and prac- 
 tised, are of little use ; nay, rather are of disservice. 
 
 Holding the head erect is but occasionally right, 
 a proper recline of it may be as graceful, but true 
 elegance is mostly seen in the moving it from one 
 position to another. 
 
 And this may be attained by a sensibility within 
 yourself, though you have not a sight of what you do 
 by looking in the glass, when with your head assisted 
 by a sway of the body in order to give it more scope, 
 you endeavour to make that very serpentine line in 
 the air, which the hands have been before taught to do 
 by the help of the ogee-moulding; and I will venture 
 to say, a few careful repetitions at first setting out will 
 make this movement as easy to the head as to the 
 hands and arms. 
 
 The most graceful bow is got by the head’s moving 
 in this direction, as it goes downward and rises up 
 again. Some awkward imitators of this elegant way of 
 bowing, for want of knowing what they were about, 
 have seemed to bow with wry necks. The low solemn 
 bow to majesty should have but a very little twist, if 
 any, as more becoming gravity and submission. The 
 clownish nod in a sudden straight line is quite the re- 
 verse of these spoken of. 
 
 The most elegant and respectful curtesy hath a 
 gentle, or small degree of the above graceful bowing 
 of the head as the person sinks, and rises, and retreats. 
 If it should be said, that a fine curtesy consists in no 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 more than in being erect in person at the time of sink- 
 ing and rising ; Madam Catherine in clock-work, or the 
 dancing bears led about the streets for a shew, must 
 be allowed to make as good a curtesy as any body. 
 
 N. B. It is necessary in bowing and curtesy ing to 
 shun an exact sameness at all times ; for however 
 graceful it may be on some occasions, at other times 
 it may seem formal and improper. Shakespear seems 
 to have meant the above spoken of ornamental man- 
 ner of bowing, in Enobarbus’s description of Cleopa- 
 tra’s waiting- women.' — — 
 
 — ——And made their bends adorning. Act 2. 
 
 i 
 
 3. Of Dancing. The minuet is allowed by the 
 dancing-masters themselves to be the perfection of all 
 dancing. I once heard an eminent dancing-master 
 say, that the minuet had been the study of his whole 
 life, and that he bad been indefatigable in the pursuit 
 of its beauties, yet at last he could only say with So- 
 . 147 crates, he knew nothing : adding, that I was happy in 
 my profession as a painter, in that some bounds might 
 be set to the study of it. No doubt as the minuet con- 
 tains in it a composed variety of as many movements 
 in the serpentine lines as can well be put together in 
 distinct quantities, it is a fine composition of move- 
 ments. 
 
 The ordinary undulating motion of the body in 
 common walking (as may be plainly seen by the wav- 
 ing line, which the shadow a man’s head makes against 
 a wall as he is walking between it and the afternoon 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 sun) is augmented in dancing into a larger quantity 
 of waving by means of the minuet-step, which is so 
 contrived as to raise the body by gentle degrees 
 somewhat higher than ordinary, and sink it again in 
 the same manner lower in the going on of the dance. 
 
 The figure of the minuet-path on the floor is also 
 composed of serpentine lines, as fig. *, varying a little 
 with the fashion : when the parties by means of this 
 step rise and fall most smoothly in time, and free 
 from sudden starting and dropping, they come nearest 
 to Shakespear’s idea of the beauty of dancing, in the 
 following lines, 
 
 What you do. 
 
 Still betters what is done, — 
 
 -——-When you do dance, I wish you 
 A wave o’th’ sea, that you might ever do 
 Nothing but that 5 move still, still so, 
 
 And own no other function. — Winter’s Tale. 
 
 The other beauties belonging to this dance, arep.i48 
 the turns of the head, and twist of the body in passing 
 each other, as also gentle bowing and presenting 
 hands in the manner before described, all which toge- 
 ther, displays the greatest variety of movements in 
 serpentine lines imaginable, keeping equal pace with 
 musical time. 
 
 There are other dances that entertain merely be- 
 cause they are composed of variety of movements and 
 performed in proper time, but the less they consist of 
 serpentine or waving lines, the lower they are in the 
 
 * Fig. 122. T. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 estimation of dancing-masters : for, as has been 
 shewn, when the form of the body is divested of its 
 serpentine lines it becomes ridiculous as a human 
 figure, so likewise when all movements in such lines 
 are excluded in a dance, it becomes low, grotesque 
 and comical ; but however, being as was said com- 
 posed of variety, made consistent with some character, 
 and executed with agility, it nevertheless is very en- 
 tertaining. Such are Italian peasant-dances, &c. 
 But such uncouth contortions of the body as are allow- 
 able in a man would disgust in a woman : as the ex- 
 treme graceful, so very alluring in this sex, is nauseous 
 in the other; even the minuet-grace in a man would 
 hardly be approved, but as the main drift of it repre- 
 sents repeated addresses to the lady. 
 
 There is a much greater consistency in the dances 
 of the Italian theatre than of the French, notwith- 
 standing dancing seems to be the genius of that 
 nation; the following distinctly marked characters 
 P 14 q were originally from Italy ; and if we consider them 
 lineally as to their particular movements, we shall see 
 wherein their humour consists. 
 
 The attitudes of the harlequin are ingeniously 
 composed of certain little, quick movements of the 
 head, hands and feet, some of which shoot out as it 
 were from the body in straight lines, or are twirled 
 about in little circles. 
 
 Scaramouch is gravely absurd as the character is 
 intended, in over-stretched tedious movements of un- 
 natural lengths of lines : these two characters seem to 
 have been contrived by conceiving a direct opposition 
 of movements. 
 
 t 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 Pierrott’s movements and attitudes are chiefly 
 in perpendiculars and parallels, so is his figure and 
 dress. 
 
 Punchinello is droll by being the reverse of all ele- 
 gance, both as to movement, and figure, the beauty 
 of variety is totally, and comically excluded from this 
 character in every respect; his limbs are raised and 
 let fall almost altogether at one time, in parallel direc- 
 tions, as if his seeming fewer joints than ordinary, 
 were no better than the hinges of a door. 
 
 Dances that represent provincial characters, as 
 these above do, or very low people, such as gardeners, 
 sailors, &c. in merriment, are generally most enter- 
 taining on the stage : the Italians have lately added 
 great pleasantry and humour to several French dances, 
 particularly the wooden-shoe dance, in which there is 
 a continual shifting from one attitude in plain lines P. iso 
 to another ; both the man and the woman often comic- 
 ally fix themselves in uniform positions, and frequently 
 start in equal time, into angular forms, one of which 
 remarkably represents two W’s in a line, as over 
 figure 1 22, plate c 2 , these sort of dances a little raised, 
 especially on the woman’s side, in expressing elegant 
 wantonness (which is the true spirit of dancing) have 
 of late years been most delightfully done, and seem at 
 present to have got the better of pompous, unmean- 
 ing grand ballets ; serious dancing being even a con- 
 tradiction in terms. 
 
 4thly, Of Country Dancing. The lines which a 
 number of people together form in country or figure 
 dancing, make a delightful play upon the eye, espe- 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 eially when the whole figure is .to be seen at one view, 
 as at the play-house from the gallery; the beauty of 
 this kind of mystic dancing, as the poets term it, de- 
 pends upon moving in a composed variety of lines, 
 chiefly serpentine, governed by the principles of in- 
 tricacy, &c. the dances of barbarians are always repre- 
 sented without these movements, being only com- 
 posed of wild skipping, jumping, and turning round, 
 or running backward and forward, with convulsive 
 shrugs, and distorted gestures, 
 
 One of the most pleasing movements in country 
 dancing, and which answers to all the principles of 
 varying at once, is what they call the hay; the figure 
 of it altogether, is a cypher of S’s, or a number of ser- 
 pentine lines interlacing, or intervolving each other, 
 ?• 151 which suppose traced on the floor, the lines would ap- 
 pear as fig. *, Milton in his Paradise lost, describing 
 the angels dancing about the sacred hill, pictures the 
 whole idea in words ; 
 
 Mystical dance ! 
 
 Mazes intricate. 
 
 Eccentric, intervolv’d, yet regular 
 Then most, when most irregular they seem. 
 
 I shall venture, lastly, to say a word or two of 
 stage-action. From what has been said of habitually 
 moving in wavinglines, it may possibly be found that 
 if stage-action, particularly the graceful, was to be 
 studied lineally, it might be more speedily and accu- 
 
 * Fig. 123. T. p. 2. 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 lately acquired by the help of the foregoing principles 
 than the methods hitherto taken. It is known that 
 common deportment, such as may pass for elegant 
 and proper off the stage, would no more be thought 
 sufficient upon it than the dialogue of common polite 
 conversation, would be accurate or spirited enough for 
 the language of a play. So that trusting to chance 
 only will not do. The actions of every scene ought 
 to be as much as possible a complete composition of 
 well varied movements, considered as such abstractly, 
 and apart from what may be merely relative to the 
 sense of the words. Action considered with regard to 
 assisting the authors meaning, by enforcing the sen- 
 timents or raising the passions, must be left entirely 
 to the judgment of the performer, we only pretend to 
 shew how the limbs may be made to have an equal 
 readiness to move in all such directions as may be 
 required. 
 
 What I would have understood by action, abstract- P. 152 
 edly and apart from its giving force to the meaning of 
 the words, may be better conceived by supposing a 
 foreigner, who is a thorough master of all the effects 
 of action, at one of our theatres, but quite ignorant 
 of the language of the play ; it is evident his senti- 
 ments under such limitations, would chiefly arise from 
 what he might distinguish by the lines of the move- 
 ments belonging to each character ; the actions of an 
 old man, if proper, or not, would be visible to him at 
 once, and he would judge of low and odd characters 
 by the inelegant lines which we have already shewn to 
 belong to the characters of punch, harlequin, Pierrott, 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 or the clown ; so he would also form his judgment of the 
 graceful acting of a fine gentleman, or hero, by the 
 elegance of their movements in such lines of grace 
 and beauty as have been sufficiently described. See 
 chapters 5, 6, 7> 8, on the composition of forms. 
 Where note, that as the whole of beauty depends 
 upon continually varying the same must be observed 
 with regard to genteel and elegant acting : and as 
 plain space makes a considerable part of beauty 
 in form, so cessation of movement in acting is as abso- 
 lutely necessary ; and in my opinion much wanted on 
 most stages, to relieve the eye from what Shakespear 
 calls, continually sawing the air . 
 
 The actress hath sufficient grace with fewer actions, 
 and those in less extended lines than the actor, for as 
 the lines that compose the Venus are simpler and 
 more gently flowing, than those that compose the 
 153 Apollo, so must her movements be in like propor- 
 tion. 
 
 And here it may not be improper to take notice 
 of a mischief that attends copied actions on the stage ; 
 they are often confined to certain sets and numbers, 
 which being repeated, and growing stale to the audi- 
 ence, become at last subject to mimickry and ridi- 
 cule, which would hardly be the case, if an actor 
 were possessed of such general principles as include a 
 knowledge of the effects of all the movements that the 
 body is capable of. 
 
 The comedian, whose business it is to imitate the 
 actions belonging to particular characters in nature, 
 may also find his account in the knowledge of lines 
 
ANALYSIS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 for whatever he copies from the life, by these princi- 
 ples may be strengthened, altered, and adjusted as his 
 judgment shall direct, and the part the author has 
 given him shall require. 
 
 FINIS .