Perhaps the artist who seeks dignity above all in his 'historia', ought to represent very few figures; for as paucity of words imparts majesty to a prince, provided histhoughts and orders are understood, so the presence of only the strictly necessary numbers of bodies confers dignity on a picture.
1436 On Painting (translated by Cecil Grayson).
![Perhaps the artist who seeks dignity above all in his 'historia', ought to represent very few figures; for as paucity of words imparts majesty to a prince, provided histhoughts and orders are understood, so the presence](http://cdn.quoteddaily.com/images/leon-battista-alberti/perhaps-the-artist-who-seeks-dignity-above-all-in-his-historia-ought-to-represent-very-few-figures-for-as-paucity.jpg)