Four Books on Human Proportion

In the following, I wish to describe a strong, stout, and rustic woman original: "betrisch weyb"; Dürer uses this term to categorize a shorter, wider body type common among the laboring classes, seven heads in height, consistent with the previous man. I will do this through the same system as used for the man. However, instead of drawing three vertical lines, I will place points in those positions to mark the length of the limbs. I will no longer draw horizontal lines original: "zwerch liniẽ" through these points—neither for the thickness nor the width of the profile side view, front, or back views. Instead, I will place the numbers and digits at the same level as the horizontal lines next to the points. These will indicate how thick or wide the side or front image should be at that specific place. I will use this method for all subsequent figures so that the drawing does not become too cluttered.

From the crown of the head to the height of the shoulder joints: one 10th part and two 23rd parts. Dürer’s "parts" are fractions of the total body height.
But from the crown to the hollow of the throat the suprasternal notch: two 11th parts.
From the crown to the bottom of the chin: one 7th part.
From the chin upward to the height of the rear vertebra likely the prominent C7 bone at the base of the neck: one 8th part.
But from the chin upward to the end of the forehead: one 10th part.
I divide this tenth part into three equal sections: In the top one, I place the forehead; in the second, the nose, eyes, and ears; in the third, the mouth and chin. And under the chin, I make the flesh hang down further. Dürer is describing the "double chin" or fuller neck area typical of this stouter body type.

From the height of the hollow of the throat to:
{
The flanks the waist area: one 5th part.
Under the breasts: one 7th part.
Onto the nipples: one 9th part.
Under the front of the armpits original: "vorder ochsen": one 15th part.
To the height of the breast: one 28th part.
}

The armpit is always lower in the back than in the front.
From the flanks to:
{
The navel: one 22nd part.
The end of the hip: one 9th part.
The end of the belly: one 8th part.
The end of the groin: two 11th parts.
The end of the buttocks: one 5th part.
}

From the sole of the foot upward to the height of the cleft the crotch: one 20th part.
But from the sole to the outer ankle bone original: "knorren des schinbeins": one 28th part.
From the top of the ankle bone upward to the middle of the knee: two 9th parts.
Or, I set the knee using the leveler original: "bergleicher" as I did before, which makes the knee lower than previously; do whichever you prefer. From the middle of the knee upward: one 30th part; there I end the knee. Likewise, one 30th part below it; there I end the bottom of the knee. From the middle of the knee downward: one 8th part; there I end the calf. And I make the foot one 6th part long. After that, I make the arm—from the shoulder joint to the elbow: two 11th parts. From the elbow to the tips of the fingers: one 4th part.
From the tips of the fingers backward to the joint of the hand the wrist: one 10th part.

Now that I have indicated the length of the limbs, I will next measure the thickness at all the points of the previously established lengths on the profile side-view image.

I make the profile head, at the point of the rear vertebra, 9 parts thick.

Always pay close attention to the points so that you do not go astray.

But at the point of the forehead: one 14th part and one 15th part thick.

Across the eyebrows: also one 14th part and one 15th part.

Across the head and nose: one 8th part.

Across the chin and neck: also one 8th part.

And the neck: one 12th part.

But at the hollow of the throat: one 10th part.

At the height of the breast: one 7th part.