Making a Figure Appear Twenty-Four Braccia High
Projecting a foreshortened figure across wall and vault by drawing its lines to point f
Continuing the demonstration, this leaf explains how to paint on a twelve-braccia wall a figure that appears twenty-four braccia high, because the curved surface has no angles. Half the man is set on the wall m r and the other half carried up onto the vault m n; the painter first builds a scale model of the wall and vault on a hall floor, places a profile figure of any size behind it, and draws all its lines to the point f, then transfers where those lines cut the wall m n to obtain every height and projection. The diagram shows a foreshortened reclining nude within a boxed perspective frame beside a triangular construction lettered F, N, M and R.
On this page
Drawing all the figure's lines to the point f
To make a figure that reads as twenty-four braccia on a twelve-braccia wall, half is drawn on the wall m r and half on the vault m n. On a level hall floor the painter reconstructs the wall-and-vault, sets a profile figure of any size behind it, and draws all its lines to the point f. Where these lines cut the wall m n gives, when copied onto the actual wall, the true heights and projections of the figure.
Foreshortened nude within a perspective box
A nude figure is shown strongly foreshortened, laid within a rectangular boxed frame that reads as the wall and vault. Beside it a triangular construction bears the letters F, N, M and R marking the projection. A ghost of the standing figure from the facing page shows through the leaf.