196

On the relative size of shadows.

THE BODY WHICH IS NEAREST TO THE LIGHT CASTS THE LARGEST SHADOW, AND WHY?

If an object placed in front of a single light is very close to it you will see that it casts a very large shadow on the opposite wall, and the farther you remove the object from the light the smaller will the image of the shadow become.

WHY A SHADOW LARGER THAN THE BODY THAT PRODUCES IT BECOMES OUT OF PROPORTION.

The disproportion of a shadow which is larger than the body producing it, results from the light being smaller than the body, so that it cannot be at an equal distance from the edges of the body [Footnote 11: H. LUDWIG in his edition of the old copies, in the Vatican library—in which this chapter is included under Nos. 612, 613 and 614 alters this passage as follows: quella parte ch’e piu propinqua piu cresce che le distanti, although the Vatican copy agrees with the original MS. in having distante in the former and propinque in the latter place. This supposed amendment seems to me to invert the facts. Supposing for instance, that on Pl. XXXI No. 3. f is the spot where the light is that illuminates the figure there represented, and that the line behind the figure represents a wall on which the shadow of the figure is thrown. It is evident, that in that case the nearest portion, in this case the under part of the thigh, is very little magnified in the shadow, and the remoter parts, for instance the head, are more magnified.]; and the portions which are most remote are made larger than the nearer portions for this reason [Footnote 12: See Footnote 11].

WHY A SHADOW WHICH IS LARGER THAN THE BODY CAUSING IT HAS ILL-DEFINED OUTLINES.

The atmosphere which surrounds a light is almost like light itself for brightness and colour; but the farther off it is the more it loses this resemblance. An object which casts a large shadow and is near to the light, is illuminated both by that light by the luminous atmosphere; hence this diffused light gives the shadow ill-defined edges.

Taken from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci edited by Jean Paul Richter, 1880.

II * IV
Notebooks of Leonoardo da Vinci
III: Six books on Light and Shade.
. . .
176,
177,
178,
179
Shadow as produced by two lights of different size.
180,
181
The effect of light at different distances.
182
Further complications in the derived shadows.
183,
184,
185,
186,
187
On the shape of the cast shadows.
188,
189,
190,
191
On the outlines of cast shadows.
192,
193,
194,
195
On the relative size of shadows.
196,
197
Effects on cast shadows by the tone of the back ground.
198
A disputed proposition.
199
On the relative depth of cast shadows.
200,
201,
202
Principles of reflection.
203,
204
On reverberation.
205
Reflection on water.
206,
207
Experiments with the mirror.
208,
209,
210
Appendix:--On shadows in movement.
211,
212
The effect of rays passing through holes.
213,
214
On gradation of shadows.
215
On relative proportion of light and shadows.
216
. . .