512

On the construction of windows.

OF THE PAINTER’S WINDOW AND ITS ADVANTAGE.

The painter who works from nature should have a window, which he can raise and lower. The reason is that sometimes you will want to finish a thing you are drawing, close to the light.

Let a b c d be the chest on which the work may be raised or lowered, so that the work moves up and down and not the painter. And every evening you can let down the work and shut it up above so that in the evening it may be in the fashion of a chest which, when shut up, may serve the purpose of a bench.

[Footnote: See Pl. XXXI, No. 2. In this plate the lines have unfortunately lost their sharpness, for the accidental loss of the negative has necessitated a reproduction from a positive. But having formerly published this sketch by another process, in VON LUTZOW’S Zeitschrift fur bildende Kunst (Vol. XVII, pg. 13) I have reproduced it here in the text. The sharpness of the outline in the original sketch is here preserved but it gives it from the reversed side.]

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

VII * X
Notebooks of Leonoardo da Vinci
VIII: Botany for Painters and Elements of Landscape Painting.
. . .
492
The artist’s private life and choice of company.
493,
494
The distribution of time for studying.
495,
496,
497
On the productive power of minor artists.
498,
499,
500,
501
A caution against one-sided study.
502
How to acquire universality.
503,
504,
505,
506
Useful games and exercises.
507,
508
On the size of the studio.
509
On the construction of windows.
510,
511,
512
On the best light for painting.
513,
514,
515,
516,
517,
518,
519,
520
On various helps in preparing a picture.
521,
522,
523,
524,
525,
526,
527,
528,
529,
530
On the management of works.
531,
532
. . .