Albrecht Dürer's Description of Human Proportion

On Human Proportion.

Now I wish to describe a strong, peasant-like woman who is seven of her own heads tall, just like the previous man. This I do according to the same arrangement; however, instead of the three lines, I place points in the same spots where I measure the length of the limbs. I do not draw cross-lines through these points to show the thickness or width of the figure seen from the side, front, or back. Instead, I place numbers and figures at the location of the cross-lines by the points; these indicate how thick or wide the figure must be at that specific spot. I shall use this method for all figures hereafter, so that the strokes or lines do not become too tangled with one another.

From the crown of the head original: "schepdel" to the shoulder joints, one 10th part and two 23rd parts.
But from the crown of the head to the hollow of the neck suprasternal notch: the visible dip at the base of the neck, 2 eleventh parts.
From the crown of the head to the end of the chin, a 7th part.
From the chin upwards to the height of the back vertebra of the head referring to the occipital bone at the back of the skull, an 8th part.
But from the chin upwards to the end of the forehead, a 10th part.
These 10 parts I divide into three equal portions: in the uppermost, I place the forehead; in the second, the nose, eyes, and ears; in the third, the mouth and chin; and beneath the chin, I make the flesh slope more downward.

From the height of the hollow of the neck to

• the soft part of the belly the waist, a 5th part.
• under the breast, a 7th part.
• at the nipples, a 9th part.
• under the front armpits, a 15th part.
• at the height of the breast, a 28th part.

The armpits are always somewhat lower in the back than in the front.

From the soft part of the belly to

• the navel, a 22nd part.
• the end of the hips, a 9th part.
• the end of the belly, an 8th part.
• the end of the private parts, an 11th part.
• the end of the buttocks, a 5th part.

From the soles of the feet upwards to the height of the crotch original: "splete ofte reets", a 20th part.
But from the soles to the outer ankles of the shinbone, a 28th part.
From the end of the ankles upward to the middle of the knee, two 9th parts.
Alternatively, if I place the knee using the "comparator" a tool or standard for proportional comparison as before, the knee becomes lower than previously; do as you prefer. From the middle of the knee upward, a 30th part, where I end the top of the knee; likewise, a 30th part below where I end the bottom of the knee. From the middle of the knee upward, an 8th part, where I end the hips; and I make the foot a 6th part long. Next, I make the arm from the armpit joint to the elbow two 11th parts; from the elbow to the end of the fingers, a 4th part.
From the end of the fingers to the wrist of the hand, a 10th part.
Just as I have indicated the length of the limbs, I also measure the thickness of the figure seen from the side at the points of the previously established lengths.

The head seen from the side, I make a 9th part thick through the points of the back vertebra.
Always pay attention to those points so that you do not go astray.
But at the small point of the head, a 24th part and a 15th part.
Above the eyebrows also a 14th and a 15th part.
Above the head and nose, an 8th part.
Above the chin and neck also an 8th part. And the neck a 12th part.
But at the hollow of the neck, a 10th part.
At the height of the breast, a 7th part.
At the armpits, two 13th parts.
Above the nipples, a 12th and a 13th part.
Under the breast, a 7th part.

At the soft part of the belly, a 7th part.
By the navel, a 10th and an 11th part.
By the end of the hips, an 8th and a 10th part.
The leg under the buttocks, a 7th part.
Above the knee, two 10th parts.
In the middle of the knee, a 12th part.
Under the knee also a 12th part.
In the middle of the calves original: "kupten," likely a variation of kuiten, a 20th and a 22nd part.
At the end of the calves, a 12th part.
The leg below, just above the foot, an 18th part.
Afterward, I make the thickness of the arm seen from the side.
In the armpit, an 11th part.