574 ^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^f P^iniing 



rary with Cicero (as I have already obferved), 

 was the author of an exprefs Treatife on Perfpec- 

 tive, as were alfo, Euclid, Heliodorus Larif- 

 feus, Agatharcus, and his difciples Democritus 

 and Anexagoras. And the quotations I am 

 about to adduce will render it extremely pro- 

 bable that an attention to perfpeftive was ex- 

 pc6ted in the works of the ancient artifts. 



Plato, in his dialogue entitled the Sophifts, 

 obferves that " painters and fculptors attempt 

 *' to preferve the real proportion of beautiful 

 ** objeds. You know that thofe which are placed 

 ** in a certain point of elevation, would appear 

 ** to us too fmall, and others placed lower, too 

 ** large; the one being feen near at hand, the 

 *' others at a diftance. Hence artifts at prefent 

 "pay no regard to the real truth, nor do they 

 *' give to their figures their real fize, but thofe 

 " proportions only which will conduce to a 

 <« beautiful effeft."* 



Agatharcus (fays Vitruvius-j-) primum Athenis 

 jEfchylo docente tragediam Jcenam fecit y et de ed re 

 commentarium reliquit. Ex eo monitiy Democritus et 

 AnexagoraSy de eadem re Jcripjerunty quemadmodum 

 oporteat ad aciem oculorum radiorumque extenfionem 



* Edit. Steph. torn. I. p. 235. This pafiage is alfo 

 noticed by the Abbe Salier in his paper on the perfpeftive 

 of the ancient painters and fculptors. Mem. de I'Acad. 

 des Infcrip. VIII. 



t Pref. ad, lib. VII. 



certo 



