WHERE A SPECTATOR SHOULD STAND TO LOOK AT A PICTURE.

Supposing _a b_ to be the picture and _d_ to be the light, I say

that if you place yourself between _c_ and _e_ you will not

understand the picture well and particularly if it is done in oils,

or still more if it is varnished, because it will be lustrous and

somewhat of the nature of a mirror. And for this reason the nearer

you go towards the point _c_, the less you will see, because the

rays of light falling from the window on the picture are reflected

to that point. But if you place yourself between _e_ and _d_ you

will get a good view of it, and the more so as you approach the

point _d_, because that spot is least exposed to these reflected

rays of light.

The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci — Volume 1 · 第 290 / 366 题