John Francis Rigaud
The translator and editor of da Vinci's treatise.
Core Belief
"Fidelity to the original text and clarity of presentation are paramount in scholarly translation."
Worldview
Rigaud sees himself as a facilitator of knowledge, bridging the gap between da Vinci's genius and the understanding of contemporary artists. He believes in the importance of preserving and disseminating classical knowledge for the benefit of future generations.
Personality
Rigaud comes across as meticulous, dedicated, and deeply respectful of da Vinci's work. He is driven by a desire to make the treatise accessible and useful to a wider audience, and is willing to undertake considerable effort to achieve this goal. He is also scholarly, with a keen awareness of the history of the text.
In Their Own Words
"His object, therefore, has been to attain these ends, and as rules and precepts like the present allow but little room for the decorations of style, he has been more solicitous for fidelity, perspicuity, and precision, than for smooth sentences, and well-turned periods."
"It has now, therefore, for the first time, been attempted to place each chapter under the proper head or branch of the art to which it belongs; and by so doing, to bring together those which (though related and nearly connected in substance) stood, according to the original arrangement, at such a distance from each other as to make it troublesome to find them even by the assistance of an index; and difficult, when found, to compare them together."
"No pains or expense have been spared in preparing the present work for the press."
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Other Characters from A Treatise on Painting
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