Tracte containing the artes of curious paintinge, caruinge, buildinge / written first in Italian, and Englished by R[ichard] H[aydocke] student in physik. [With a foreword by John Case].

Gian Paolo Lomazzo

Date:: [1598]

Credit: Tracte containing the artes of curious paintinge, caruinge, buildinge / written first in Italian, and Englished by R[ichard] H[aydocke] student in physik. [With a foreword by John Case]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$———— Sa ca eee» tee THE PREFACE. liver mine opinion concerhing this point: fo thar peradventure neither the carvers fhal arrogate to themfelues that praife which is due unto Painters; nor we be deprived of the fruit of ourlabour , infomuchas the controver- fie hath beene betweene the Painters and Carvers whether of their two Artes fhould be the worthier; and divers haueitidged diverfely: {ome in favour of Painting , andothers of Carving sas my felfe whenfoeverI had occafion to difcourfe of this matter,haue alwaies defended Painting: be: caufe Thad determined to publith this worke j: wherein I purpofed to han- dle it more at large; hoping that ‘as wel forthe novelty, as the waight of the reafons which fhalbe brought it would not prooue unacceptable to the reader. : | © Firft then it fhall not bee amiffe to confiderthe agreement anddiffe-: How Paine rence, betwixt thefe two artes : for fothall we bethe better ableto con-- 108 ets ceiue thereof in the firft chapter: where it fhall bee particularly difcuffed; at whether of them is the worthier. A point (inmy iudgement) not to-haue; binne omitted of fuch as haue handled this argument.: This then lay for a ground: that Painting,and carving are contained vnder one,and the felte» fame Arte; according to this rule: Thofe things which agree in a thirde, agree bet weene themfelaes. Now if itcbee obiected, that by this meanesa argument followeth not: for alchough they agrecina generality of being living creatures , yet they differ’ in:{pecialty of kinde. » The like is tobee faide of painting and carving. Howbeit we muft confider farthér , chat as: there is none effentiali difference betweene two particular men becaule both of them are reafonable creatures; fo carving aud painting cannotbe faide to differ effentially , becaufe both of them tende to the felfefame ende, by reprefenting individual fubftances : which each of them doch indifferently by imitating the Geometrical quantity of the fame individual] thing: endevoring equally to expreffe thebeauty, comelineffe , motions, andbowitgs of things; andinaworde., both of them intending nothing elfe but to refemble things as neere to che 4feas may be. Wherefore fup- pofe a king were propofed ro a paintersand a carver for each of them to counterfeitsqueftionleffe both of them.would conceiue the felfe fame Idea, and fimilitude of him4:procéeding in their mindes with the fame difcourfe ofreafonjand atte, havingthefame purpofe,and'endetomake the coun- terfeitas like the perfon ofthe king,as they coulde. Moreover. they would vie the felfe fame mearies::for both of chem mutt needes bee inforced to imitate the»perfon of the kings by obferving the fame. geometrical quan- tity of himsfuppofe of tene faces in lengths andkeepingall his geftures, lineamentés 8e.-making them neither too: bigge,nortoo little, butiuftas the kinges\ are!) obferving with all the quantity, and fafhion of his fore» heade , » cies, nofe,mouthyjand the reft of hisbodie : whence the counter feit would prooue anfwerable to the kings: body in all refpectes.... So that both thefe.aitificers would proceede, according to the fame rules of arte in their minde,and vnderftanding.. Theri,before they went about the matter, A iij. had$