MENGS' WRITINGS. 311 



" Of ike Proportions of the Human Body* 

 Infinite are the descriptions of the proportions 

 of the human body, but scarce any two accord. 

 Those which I have read are not very clear, nor 

 do I believe they can give to painters a just 

 idea of the subject. Besides that, some authors 

 have limited too much the combinations that could 

 produce an uniform proportion in the figures. 

 Others, and among whom is Albert Diirer, have 

 explained a great number and variety of propor- 

 tions ; but they serve for nothing, except to those 

 who would wish to imitate his taste. I shall there- 

 fore also say something on this subject, which 

 might serve for all tastes, founding it upon nature 

 and art. 



"It is a general maxim to divide a figure in a 

 determinate number of heads or faces ; but this 

 method will be good for sculptors only, and not for 

 painters, who never see the heads just, because the 

 perspective hides at least one third of the fourth 

 superior part ; and the width of the members can- 

 not be measured with such exactness as they are 

 measured by sculptors, because they would appear 

 meagre and straight upon the plain surface, in 

 opposition to what it appears by the perspective ; 

 because as we see all things with two eyes, we 

 see the contour of things greater than the just 

 diameter ; and this happens in nature as well as 

 in statues, but not in painting. The ancients also 

 observed that, and therefore we see, that their bas- 

 reliefs are thicker than their statues. 



* Mengs' Works, vol. ii. p. 159. 



