The science of beauty, as developed in nature and applied in artHay, D. R. (David Ramsay)
Philosophy
The science of beauty, as developed in nature and applied in art
Hay, D. R. (David Ramsay)
Aesthetics; Nature (Aesthetics); Proportion (Art)
Take a cut-out ellipse of (¹⁄₃), whose greater axis is about the length
of the body of the intended vase, place it with its lesser axis upon the
line S P, and its greater axis upon the line D O, and trace the part _a
b_ of its circumference upon the diagram. Place the same ellipse with
one of its foci upon C, and its greater axis upon C F, and trace its
circumference upon the diagram. Take a cut-out ellipse of (¹⁄₅), whose
greater axis is nearly equal to that of the ellipse already used; place
it with its greater axis upon M H, and its lesser axis upon L N, and
trace its circumference upon the diagram. Make similar tracings upon the
other side of A B, and the diagram is complete. In this, as in the other
diagrams, the strong portions of the lines give the contour of the vase.
The harmonic elements of this classical form, therefore, appear to be the
right angle and its following parts:—
Tonic. Dominant. Mediant. Submediant.
(¹⁄₂) (¹⁄₃) (²⁄₅) (³⁄₁₀)
(¹⁄₅)
(¹⁄₁₀)
My third example is that of—
_An Ancient Grecian Vase of a Horizontal Composition._
This example belongs to the same class as the last, but it is of a
horizontal composition. It was carefully drawn from the original in the
museum of the Vatican by Tatham, in whose etchings it will be found with
its ornamental decorations. The diagram of its harmonic elements may be
constructed as follows:—
[Sidenote: Plate XIV.]
Let A B (Plate XIV.) represent the full height of the vase. Through B
draw B D, making an angle of (²⁄₅) with the vertical. Through A draw A H,
A L, and A C, making respectively the following angles, (¹⁄₅) with the
vertical, (⁴⁄₉) with the vertical, and (³⁄₁₀) with the horizontal. These
angles determine the horizontal lines H B, L N, and C F, which divide
the vase into its parts, and the inscribing rectangle D G K O is (³⁄₈).
This completes the rectilinear portion of the diagram. The ellipse by
which the curvilinear portion is added is one of (¹⁄₅), the greater axis
of which, at _a b_, as also at _c d_, makes an angle of (¹⁄₁₂) with
the vertical, and the same axis at _e f_ an angle of (¹⁄₁₂) with the
horizontal.
The harmonic elements of this vase, therefore, appear to be:—
Tonic. Dominant. Mediant. Submediant. Supertonic.
The Right (¹⁄₁₂) (²⁄₅) (³⁄₁₀) (⁴⁄₉)
Angle. (¹⁄₅)
My remaining examples are those of—
_Etruscan Vases._
Of these vases I give four examples, by which the simplicity of the
method employed in applying the harmonic law will be apparent.
[Sidenote: Plate XV.]
The inscribing rectangle D G E K of fig. 1, Plate XV., is one of (³⁄₈),
within which are arranged tracings from an ellipse of (³⁄₁₀), whose
greater axis at _a b_ makes an angle of (¹⁄₁₂), at _c d_ an angle of
(³⁄₁₀), and at _e f_ an angle of (³⁄₄), with the vertical. The harmonic
elements of the contour of this vase, therefore, appear to be:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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