DEDICATED
to

SIR EDWARD J. POYNTER
Baronet

President of the Royal Academy

in Token of Friendship
and Regard

PREFACE

It is much easier to understand and remember a thing when a reason is
given for it, than when we are merely shown how to do it without being
told why it is so done; for in the latter case, instead of being
assisted by reason, our real help in all study, we have to rely upon
memory or our power of imitation, and to do simply as we are told
without thinking about it. The consequence is that at the very first
difficulty we are left to flounder about in the dark, or to remain
inactive till the master comes to our assistance.

Now in this book it is proposed to enlist the reasoning faculty from the
very first: to let one problem grow out of another and to be dependent
on the foregoing, as in geometry, and so to explain each thing we do
that there shall be no doubt in the mind as to the correctness of the
proceeding. The student will thus gain the power of finding out any new
problem for himself, and will therefore acquire a true knowledge of
perspective.

CONTENTS

BOOK I
Page
THE NECESSITY OF THE STUDY OF PERSPECTIVE TO PAINTERS,
SCULPTORS, AND ARCHITECTS 1
WHAT IS PERSPECTIVE? 6
THE THEORY OF PERSPECTIVE:
I. Definitions 13
II. The Point of Sight, the Horizon, and the Point
of Distance. 15
III. Point of Distance 16
IV. Perspective of a Point, Visual Rays, &c. 20
V. Trace and Projection 21
VI. Scientific Definition of Perspective 22
RULES:
VII. The Rules and Conditions of Perspective 24
VIII. A Table or Index of the Rules of Perspective 40

BOOK II

THE PRACTICE OF PERSPECTIVE:
IX. The Square in Parallel Perspective 42
X. The Diagonal 43
XI. The Square 43
XII. Geometrical and Perspective Figures Contrasted 46
XIII. Of Certain Terms made use of in