Four Books on Human Proportion

First, I take as my subject a thick peasant man who should be seven of his own heads in height. For this purpose, I draw a straight horizontal line original: "zwerchlini", and upon it, I place three upright, straight lines at the proper distance from one another, each as long as the figure is to be. I use the first for the side view original: "seytlichen" of the man, the second for the front view original: "fürsichtigen", and the third for the back view original: "hinderwertigen". While these lines stand parallel, I first measure the length of the man's limbs between the crown original: "scheitel" and the sole original: "soln". I mark these same lengths across the three upright lines using horizontal lines at right angles. These lengths of the limbs, as they are described by their numbers and figures, I place outside the drawing with straight upright lines, so that they may be recognized immediately and each specific length of the limbs may be found quickly.

The principal points of the horizontal lines will be these (though sometimes there may be more or fewer): The first height is the crown. The next line below it I call the forehead line. Then follows the eyebrow, then the nose, the chin, and further the height of the shoulder muscles, the height of the hollow of the throat, the height of the chest, the front markers, the rear markers original: "vren," likely referring to the anatomical boundaries of the torso or flanks, the nipples, the area under the breasts, the waist, the navel, the hip joint, the end of the hip, the end of the belly, the pubic area, the end of the pubic area, the end of the buttocks, the indentation in the middle of the upper leg, then the outer point above the knee, the inner point above the knee, the middle of the knee, the outer point below the knee, the inner point below the knee, the end of the outer calf, the end of the inner calf, the height of the instep of the foot, the end of the outer ankle bone on the shinbone, and finally, at the very bottom, the end of the sole.

I will place such words at the ends of the upright lines that indicate the length of the limbs, so that all of this may be easily understood. I intend to use this method for all figures throughout this entire book.

Now, I first measure the length of the limbs as follows:

From the crown to:

• the height of the hollow of the throat: a 10th part and an 11th part. Dürer defines lengths as fractions of the total body height; here, 1/10 + 1/11.
• the height of the shoulder: two 11th parts.
• the end of the chin: a 7th part.

The height of the vortex original: "wirbels," the crown or whorl of hair at the back of the head is halfway between the crown and the forehead.

From the chin upward to where the hair begins above the forehead is a 10th part. I divide that into three equal fields: the uppermost for the forehead, the second for the eyes and nose, and the third for the mouth and chin.

From the hollow of the throat downward to:

• the height of the chest: a 30th part.
• under the armpits: a 13th part.
• the nipples: a 10th part.
• under the breasts: an 8th part.
• the waist: two 11th parts.
• the navel: a 40th part.
• the hip joint: a 30th part.

From the height of the waist downward to:

• the end of the hip: a 10th part.
• the pubic area: an 8th part.
• the end of the same: a 6th part.
• the end of the buttocks: a 10th part and an 11th part.

From the end of the buttocks to the indentation of the leg: an 18th part.

From the sole upward to the bottom of the ankle bone of the shin: a 28th part.

But from the sole upward to the highest point of the instep: a 20th part.

Now that I have measured the body of the figure by its length down to the end of the hip, I will subsequently place the knee joint in its position. This will result in the figure having three unequal lengths: namely, the body from the height of the hollow of the throat to the end of the hip is the first and longest; the second, from the end of the hip to the middle of the knee, is shorter; the third, from the middle of the knee to the end of the shinbone, is the shortest of all; for the rear limbs shall...