331

Proportions of the leg.

m n o are equal. The narrowest width of the leg seen in front goes 8 times from the sole of the foot to the joint of the knee, and is the same width as the arm, seen in front at the wrist, and as the longest measure of the ear, and as the three chief divisions into which we divide the face; and this measurement goes 4 times from the wrist joint of the hand to the point of the elbow. [14] The foot is as long as the space from the knee between a and b; and the patella of the knee is as long as the leg between r and s.

[18] The least thickness of the leg in profile goes 6 times from the sole of the foot to the knee joint and is the same width as the space between the outer corner of the eye and the opening of the ear, and as the thickest part of the arm seen in profile and between the inner corner of the eye and the insertion of the hair.

a b c [d] are all relatively of equal length, c d goes twice from the sole of the foot to the centre of the knee and the same from the knee to the hip.

[28]a b c are equal; a to b is 2 feet—that is to say measuring from the heel to the tip of the great toe.

[Footnote: See Pl. XV. The text of lines 2-17 is to the left of the front view of the leg, to which it refers. Lines 18-27 are in the middle column and refer to the leg seen in profile and turned to the left, on the right hand side of the writing. Lines 20-30 are above, to the left and apply to the sketch below them.

Some farther remarks on the proportion of the leg will be found in No. 336, lines 6, 7.]

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

Notebooks of Leonoardo da Vinci
VII: On the Proportions and on the Movements of the Human Figure.
. . .
311,
312,
313,
314,
315,
316,
317,
318
Proportions of the head seen in front.
319,
320,
321,
322,
323
Relative proportion of the hand and foot.
324
Relative proportions of the foot and of the face.
325,
326,
327
Proportions of the leg.
328,
329,
330,
331
On the central point of the whole body.
332
The relative proportions of the torso and of the whole figure.
333
The relative proportions of the head and of the torso.
334
The relative proportions of the torso and of the leg.
335,
336
The relative proportions of the torso and of the foot.
337
The proportions of the whole figure.
338,
339,
340,
341
The torso from the front and back.
342
Vitruvius’ scheme of proportions.
343
The arm and head.
344
Proportions of the arm.
345,
346,
347,
348,
349
The movement of the arm.
350,
351
. . .