The Brightest Part of a Reflection, and the Red of Flesh
A geometric proof of reflected brightness by angle, and why flesh reddens flesh
This page opens by completing the previous rule, that a reflection seen against a whiteness it borders becomes imperceptible, then proves which part of a reflection is brightest. With a small fan-shaped diagram it argues that the part receiving light between more equal angles from the luminous body n is the more lit: the point f is brighter than e because its base a b subtends more equal angles and lies nearer the source. A final chapter on the reflected colors of flesh holds that flesh lit by other flesh is redder and of more excellent flesh-tint than any other part of the body, since every opaque surface partakes of the color of its nearer object.
On this page
Which part of a reflection is brightest
The part of a reflection lit between more equal angles from the luminous body is the brightest, as in a percussion. With the luminous body n and the lit part a b rebounding into the shadowed concavity, the point f is brighter than the point e, and brighter still for being nearer the source that lights it.
The angles e a b, e b a and a f b
The angle e a b is more obtuse than the angle e b a, so the reflection at e is uneven; the angle a f b, though set between angles of lesser equality, has the base a b whose angles are more equal, which makes f the brighter point.
The reflected colors of flesh
Flesh that receives light reflected from other flesh is redder and of more excellent flesh-tint than any other part of the body, because the surface of every opaque body partakes of the color of its object, the more so the nearer that object lies.