Proportional Diagrams of the Male Figure

An anatomical study shows the proportions of the male body. It consists of three line drawings: a profile facing left, a detail of an arm, and a frontal view. Dürer uses a grid of horizontal and vertical lines to establish a system of measurement. Numerous numbers and markers appear throughout the drawings to show specific dimensions.

The profile figure on the left is marked with numbers from the head down to the feet. These include values such as 9, 10, 17, 14 and 15, 16, 8, 4, 9, 13, 6, 12 and 13, 11 and 12, 11 and 12, 7, 14 and 15, 10, 12, 20 and 21, 13, and 18. A horizontal line at the base of the feet is labeled with the number 6.

The center drawing shows an arm with measurements such as 2/11, 13, 18, 18, 32/30, and 15.

The frontal figure on the right is also heavily annotated. It contains measurements from the head down to the feet, including values such as 10, 8, 8, 10, 5, 3/10, 5, 6/15, 18, 21, 16, 32, 15, 9 and 10/19, 4, 4, 17, 10, 12, 14, 26, 22 and 24, 14, and 27. The letter A serves as a reference point for the shoulders, the waistline, and the right foot. A horizontal measurement line at the base of the feet is labeled with the number 15.

anatomyoriginal: "anatomia", proportionoriginal: "proportio", human bodyoriginal: "corpus humanum", Albrecht Dürer, measurementoriginal: "mensura"