B E A 
tons, in his excellent defeription of it. It was (as we 
Jearn from him) a fine red, beautifully intermixed and in¬ 
corporated with white; and diffufed, in its due propor¬ 
tions, through each part of the body. Such are the de- 
feriptions of a mod beautiful fkin, in feveral of the’Ro¬ 
man poets ; and fucli often is the colouring of Titian, and 
particularly in his fleeping Venus, or whatever other beau¬ 
ty that charming piece was meant to reprefent. The rea- 
fon why thefe colours pleafe fo much, is not only their 
natural livelinefs, nor the much greater charms they ob¬ 
tain from their being properly blended together, but is 
alfo owing in. fome degree to the idea they carry with them 
of good health ; without which all beauty grows languid 
and lefs engaging ; and with which it always recovers an 
additional life and luftre. 
As to the colour of the face in particular, a great deal 
of beauty is owing to variety ; that being defigned by na¬ 
ture for the greateft concourfe of different colours, of any 
part in the human body. Colours pleafe by oppofition ; 
and it is in the face that they are molt diverfified, and the 
mod oppofed. It is an obfervation apparently whimfical, 
but perhaps not unjuft, that the fame thing which makes 
a fine evening, makes a fine face; that is, as to the parti¬ 
cular part of beauty now under confideration. The beau¬ 
ty of an evening iky, about the fetting of the fun, is ow¬ 
ing to the variety of colours that are fcattered over the 
lace of the heavens. It is the fine red clouds, intermixed 
with white, and fo'metimes darker ones, with the azure 
bottom appearing between them, which makes all that 
beautiful compoiition that delights the eye, and gives plea- 
fure to the heart. In tlie fame manner, if we coniider 
fome beautiful faces, we may obferve it is much the fame 
variety of colours which gives them their pleafing look ; 
which is fo apt to attract the eye, and engage the heart. 
For all this fort of beauty is refolvable into a proper va¬ 
riation of flefh-colour and red, with the clear bluenefs of 
the veins plealingly intermixed about the temples and 
cheeks, fet off by the fiiades of full eye-brows, and of the 
hair, when it falls in a proper manner round the face. It 
is for this reafon that the belt landfcape-painters have 
been generally obferved to choofe the autumnal part of 
the year for their pieces, rather than the fpring. They 
prefer the variety of fiiades and colours, though in their 
decline, to all their frefbnefs and verdure in their infancy ; 
and think ail the charms and livelinefs even of the fpring 
more than compenfated by the choice, oppofition, and 
richnefs, of colours, that appear almofi on every tree in 
the autumn. 
Though one’s judgment is apt to be guided by particu¬ 
lar attachments (and that more perhaps in this part of 
beauty than any other), yet the general perfualion feems 
well founded, that a complete brown beauty is really pre¬ 
ferable to a perfect fair one ; the bright brown giving a 
luftre to all the other colours, a vivacity to the eyes, and 
a richnefs to the whole look, which one feeks in vain in 
the whit eft and molt tranfparent (kins. Raphael’s moft 
charming Madonna is a brunette beauty ; and his earlier 
Madonnas (or thole of his middle ftyle) are generally of a 
lighter and lefs pleafing complexion. All the belt artifts 
in the nobleft age of painting, about Leo X.’s time, tiled 
this deeper and richer kind of colouring ; and perhaps one 
might add, that the glaring lights introduced by Guido 
went a great Way towards the declenfion of that art; as 
the enfeebling of the colours by Carlo Marat, or his fol¬ 
lowers, hath fince almofi completed the fall of it in Italy. 
Under the idea of colour, it feems doubtful whether 
fome things ought not to be comprehended which are not 
perhaps commonly meant by that name. As that appa¬ 
rent foftnefs or filkinefs of fome (kins; that Magdalen- 
look in fome fine faces, after weeping; that brightnefs, as 
well as tint, of the hair; that luftre of health that fhines 
forth upon the features ; that luminous appearance in fome 
eyes, and that fluid fire or ghftening in others: fome of 
which are of a nature fo much fuperior to the common 
beauties of colour, that they make it doubtful whether 
Voi.. II. No. 106. 
V T Y. 837 
they fitouId not have been ranked under a higher clafs, 
and referved for the exprellion of the paftions. 
2. Form. The general caufe of beauty in the form or 
fhape in both fexes is a proportion, or an union or harmo¬ 
ny, in all parts of the body. The diftinguifiling charac¬ 
ter of beauty, in the female form, is delicacy and foft¬ 
nefs; and, in the male, either apparent firength or agility. 
The fined exemplars that can be feen for the former, is 
the Venus of Medicis ; and, for the two latter, the Hercu¬ 
les Farnefe and the Apollo Belvidere. One of the old 
Roman poets, in fpeaking of a very handfome man, who 
was candidate for the prize in fome of the public games, 
fays, that he was much expected and much admired by 
all the fpeftators at his firft appearance; but that, when 
he flung off his robes,’and difeovered the whole beauty 
of his fhape altogether, it was fo fuperior, that it quite 
extinguiftied the beauties they had before fo much admi¬ 
red in his face. Much the fame elfeft may be felt in view¬ 
ing the Venus of Medicis. If we obferve the face only, 
it appears extremely beautiful; but, if we conftderall the 
other elegancies of her form, the beauty of her face be¬ 
comes lefs ftriking, and is almofi loft in her multiplicity of 
charms. 
Whoever would learn what conftitutes the beauty of 
each part of the human body, may find it laid down pret¬ 
ty much at large, by Felibien, in his Entretiens , vol. ii. p. 
14-45, who deferibes the beauty of the different parts of 
the female form as follows : The head ftiould be well 
rounded, and look rather inclining to fmall than large. 
The forehead white, fmooth, and open (not with the .hair 
growing down too deep upon it); neither flat nor promi¬ 
nent, but, like the head, well rounded; and rather fmall 
in proportion than large. The hair, either bright black 
or brown; not thin, but full and waving; and if it falls 
in moderate curls the better. The black is particularly 
ufeful for fetting oft' the whitenefs of the neck and fkin. 
The eyes black, chefnut, or blue; clear, bright, and live¬ 
ly ; and rather large in proportion than fmall. The eye¬ 
brows, well divided, rather full than thin ; femicircnlar, 
and broader in the middle than at the ends ; of a neat turn, 
but not formal. The cheeks fliould not be wide; fliould 
have a degree of plumpnefs, with the red and white finely 
blended together; and fliould look firm and foft. The 
ear fliould be rather fmall than large; well folded, and 
with an agreeable tinge of red. The nofe fhould be pla¬ 
ced fo as to divide the face into two equal parts; fliould 
be of a moderate fize, ftrait, and well-fquared; though 
fometimes a little riling in the nofe, which is but juft per¬ 
ceivable, may give it a very graceful look. The mouth 
fliould be fmall; and the lips not of equal thicknefs : they 
fliould be well turned, fmall rather than grofs; foft, even 
to the eye; and with a living red in them. A truly pretty 
mouth is like a rofe-bud that is beginning to blow. The 
teeth fhould be middle-fized, white, well-ranged, and 
even. The chin of a moderate fize; white, foft, and 
agreeably rounded. The neck fhould be white, ftraight, 
and of a foft, eafy, and flexible, make, rather long than 
fliort; lefs above, and increafing gently towards the ftioul- 
ders : the whitenefs and delicacy of its (kin fliould be con¬ 
tinued, or rather go on improving, to the bofom. The 
fkin in general fhould be white, properly tinged with red ; 
with an apparent foftnefs, and a look of thriving health 
in it. The fhoulders fliould be white, gently fpread, and 
with a much fofter appearance of firength than in thofe of 
men. The arm fhould be white, round, firm, and foft; 
and more particularly fo from the elbow to the hand. The 
hand fiiould unite inienfibly with the arm ; juft as it does 
in the ftatue of the Venus of Medicis. They fliould be long 
and delicate, and even the joints and nervous parts of them 
fliould be without either any hardnefs or drynefs. TJie 
fingers fhould be fine, long, round, and foft; fmall, and 
leffening towards the tips; the nails long, rounded at the 
ends, and pellucid. The bofom fiiould be white and char¬ 
ming; and the breafts equal in roundnefs, whitenefs, and 
firmnefs; neither too much elevated nor too much depref- 
10 B fed; 
