The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci

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Page 215 of 1565.
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Although the breadth and length of lights and shadow will be
narrower and shorter in foreshortening, the quality and quantity of
the light and shade is not increased nor diminished.

[3]The function of shade and light when diminished by
foreshortening, will be to give shadow and to illuminate an object
opposite, according to the quality and quantity in which they fall
on the body.

[5]In proportion as a derived shadow is nearer to its penultimate
extremities the deeper it will appear, _g z_ beyond the intersection
faces only the part of the shadow [marked] _y z_; this by
intersection takes the shadow from _m n_ but by direct line it takes
the shadow _a m_ hence it is twice as deep as _g z_. _Y x_, by
intersection takes the shadow _n o_, but by direct line the shadow
_n m a_, therefore _x y_ is three times as dark as _z g_; _x f_, by
intersection faces _o b_ and by direct line _o n m a_, therefore we
must say that the shadow between _f x_ will be four times as dark as
the shadow _z g_, because it faces four times as much shadow.

Let _a b_ be the side where the primary shadow is, and _b c_ the
primary light, _d_ will be the spot where it is intercepted,_f g_
the derived shadow and _f e_ the derived light.

And this must be at the beginning of the explanation.

[Footnote: In the original MS. the text of No. 252 precedes the one
given here. In the text of No. 215 there is a blank space of about
four lines between the lines 2 and 3. The diagram given on Pl. VI,
No. 2 is placed between lines 4 and 5. Between lines 5 and 6 there
is another space of about three lines and one line left blank
between lines 8 and 9. The reader will find the meaning of the whole
passage much clearer if he first reads the final lines 11--13.
Compare also line 4 of No. 270.]

On relative proportion of light and shadows (216--221).

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