Against excessive ornament; let the hair play in the wind
Natural beauty over gold and affected coiffure when painting figures
This treatise page warns painters against burdening their figures with gold and rich ornament, arguing that a beautiful face, not costly trimmings, stops passers-by, and that excessive ornament diminishes the excellence of youth. It observes that mountain women in rough, poor clothes gain more beauty than those who are adorned, and mocks vanity over elaborate hairstyles undone by the wind. Leonardo advises making the hair of painted heads sport with a feigned wind around youthful faces, rather than plastering it flat with glue. The page ends by opening a chapter on the practice a painter should seek with great diligence.
On this page
Beauty needs no gilded ornament
Among human beauties it is the beautiful face, not rich ornaments, that stops travellers, and this is said to the painter who adorns his figures with gold and rich trimmings. The splendid beauties of youth lose their excellence through excessive and over-elaborate ornament.
Hair that sports in a feigned wind
Do not use affected coiffures or hair-arrangements on the heads of figures. Instead make the hair of your heads play together with a feigned wind about the youthful faces, gracefully adorning them with various turnings, rather than plastering it with glue so the faces look as if glazed.
Mountain women plainly clad
Have you not seen the mountain women, wrapped in rough and poor clothes, gain greater beauty than those who are adorned? The passage argues that plainness can surpass costly finery in a depicted figure.