On Pose, the Actions of Man, and the Faces of the Passions
Trattato della pittura: attitude, the operations of man, muscles in action, limbs by age, and varied faces
A text page from Melzi's fair copy of Leonardo's Treatise on Painting (running head 'Terza parte'), carrying several short chapters on depicting the human figure. A chapter on attitude directs that a gesture indicating things near or far should match the hand's distance and the turn of the face, and a list enumerates the 'operations of man' — firmness, movement, running, standing, leaning, sitting, kneeling, carrying, pushing, striking and the like. Further chapters instruct that muscles should swell only in limbs at work, that the young be shown with soft fleshiness rather than sinews, and that faces vary with toil, anger, weeping, laughter and fear. The sheet is text only, with no drawings.
On this page
On attitude: matching the gesture to near and distant things
In affectionate, demonstrative acts concerning things near in time or place, one must indicate with the hand held not too far from them. If the things are remote, the demonstrator's hand should likewise be remote, and the face turned toward whom he addresses.
Muscles that swell only in the limbs at work
In the disposition of the limbs according to their exertion, make the muscles swell in those limbs that are in action and at the labors suited to them. Let the limbs that are not in action remain plain and unaccentuated.
The quality of limbs according to age
In the young you will not seek out muscles or sinews, but a soft fleshiness with simple folds and roundness of limb. The doctrine reserves pronounced musculature for older bodies.
Varying the air of the face with the passions
Let the air of the faces be varied according to the accidents of man — in toil, in repose, in anger, in weeping, in laughter, in shouting and fear and similar states. The limbs of the whole person are to answer to the same feeling.