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Codex Atlanticus — 0676 r

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© Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan

Tanto quanto l'occhio in suo offizio è più presto che l'orecchio, tanto più reserva le similitudine delle cose in esso impresse.

Proemio.

* Avendo io trattato delle nature de ombre e loro percussione, ora tratterò de' lochi, i quali da esse ombre tocchi fieno, e di loro curvità 0 obbliquità o diritti o di qualunque qualità trovare per me si potrà.

Parendo a me a soffizienzia avere trattato delle nature e varie qualità delle ombre originali e dirivative e lor percussioni, tempo mi pare oramai di dimostrare li vari effetti de' vari lochi, i quali da esse ombre tocchi saranno.

Ombra è privazione di luce.

Parendo a me le ombre essere di somma necessità in nella prospettiva, però che sanza quelle i corpi oppachi e cubi male fieno intesi — quello che dentro a sua termini collocato fia — e male e sua confini intesi fieno, se essi non terminano in campo di vario colore da quello del corpo, e per questo io propongo nella prima proposizione dell'ombre e dico in questa forma, come ogni corpo oppaco fia circundato e superfizialmente vestito d'ombre e di lumi, e sopra questo edifico il primo libro. Oltre a di questo esse ombre sono in sé di varie qualità d'oscurità, perché da varie quantità di razzi luminosi abbandonate sono, e queste domando ombre originali, perché sono le prime ombre che vestano i corpi, dove appiccate sono: e sopra questo edificherò il secondo libro. Da queste ombre originali ne resulta razzi ombrosi e quali si vanno dilatando per l'aria e sono di tante qualità, quante sono le varietà dell'ombre originale donde e' si derivano, e per questo io chiamo esse ombre, ombre dirivative, perché da altre ombre nascano: e sopra di questo io farò il terzo libro. Ancora queste ombre dirivative nelle loro percussioni fanno tanti vari effetti, quanto son vari i lochi dove esse percotano: e qui farò il quarto libro. E perché la percussione della dirivativa ombra è sempre circundata da percussione di luminosi razzi, la quale, per reflesso concorso risaltando indirieto verso la sua cagione, trova l'ombra originale e si smista e si converte in quella, alquanto variandola di sua natura: e sopra questo edificherò il quinto libro. Oltr'a di questo farò il sesto libro, nel quale si ch[i]ederà le varie e molte diversificazioni delli risaltanti razzi refressi, i quali varieranno la originale di tanti vari colori, quanto fien vari i lochi, onde essi refressi razzi luminosi derivano. Ancora farò la settima divisione delle varie distanzie che fia infra la percussione del razzo reflesso al loco donde nasce, quanto fien varie le similitudine de' colori che esso nella percussione al corpo oppaco appicca.

As much as the eye in its office is quicker than the ear, so much the more does it retain the likenesses of things impressed upon it. Proem. Having treated of the natures of shadows and their percussion, I shall now treat of the places that are touched by these shadows, and of their curvature or obliquity or straightness, or of whatever quality I may be able to find. It seeming to me that I have sufficiently treated of the natures and various qualities of original and derivative shadows and their percussions, it now seems to me time to demonstrate the various effects of the various places that shall be touched by these shadows. Shadow is the privation of light. Shadows seeming to me of the utmost necessity in perspective, since without them opaque and cubic bodies will be ill understood, that which is placed within their bounds, and their confines will be ill understood if they do not terminate against a ground of a colour different from that of the body: for this reason I set forth in the first proposition of shadows and say in this form, how every opaque body is surrounded and superficially clothed with shadows and lights; and upon this I build the first book. Besides this, these shadows are in themselves of various qualities of darkness, because they are abandoned by various quantities of luminous rays; and these I call original shadows, because they are the first shadows that clothe the bodies to which they are attached: and upon this I shall build the second book. From these original shadows there result shadowy rays, which go dilating through the air and are of as many qualities as are the varieties of the original shadows from which they derive; and for this I call these shadows derivative shadows, because they are born of other shadows: and upon this I shall make the third book. Again, these derivative shadows in their percussions make as many various effects as there are various places where they strike: and here I shall make the fourth book. And because the percussion of the derivative shadow is always surrounded by the percussion of luminous rays, which, leaping back by reflected concourse toward its cause, finds the original shadow and mingles and converts itself into it, somewhat varying it from its nature: and upon this I shall build the fifth book. Besides this I shall make the sixth book, in which shall be examined the various and many diversifications of the rebounding reflected rays, which will vary the original shadow with as many various colours as are the various places whence these reflected luminous rays derive. Again I shall make the seventh division, of the various distances that shall lie between the percussion of the reflected ray and the place whence it is born, according as the likenesses of the colours that it attaches, in its percussion, to the opaque body shall be various.

Preface to the treatise on shadow: the seven books

Shadow as the privation of light; original and derivative shadows, their percussions and reflected rays laid out as a plan of books.

Optics & Light Painting & Perspective

This page is almost entirely text, a proem to a projected treatise on shadow and light. Leonardo opens with the eye's superiority over the ear and defines shadow as the privation of light, arguing that shadows are indispensable in perspective, since without them opaque bodies cannot be understood or set off against their ground. He then outlines a seven-book scheme: the first on how every opaque body is clothed in shadow and light, the second on original shadows, the third on derivative shadows, the fourth on their percussions, the fifth on the reflected rays that return to the original shadow, the sixth on the colours of reflected rays, and a seventh on the distances of reflected percussion.

On this page

Shadow defined and the plan of the seven books

Shadow is declared to be the privation of light. Leonardo distinguishes original shadows, which first clothe the opaque bodies they attach to, from derivative shadows, the shadowy rays that dilate through the air. Each stage of the argument, through percussions and reflected concourse of luminous rays, is assigned in turn to the first through fifth books.

Why shadows are necessary in perspective

He argues shadows are of the utmost necessity in perspective, because without them opaque and cubic bodies are ill understood and their confines are lost unless they terminate against a ground of different colour. The sixth book is to treat how reflected rays vary the original shadow with as many colours as their sources, and the seventh the distances of reflected percussion. This grounds the science of shadow in the practice of picturing bodies.

Reader's Edition — described with AI from the e-Leo transcription.