Illustration to Vier Bücher von der Menschlichen Proportion, plate one from Woodcuts from Books of the XVI Century

The Illustration to Vier Bücher von der Menschlichen Proportion, plate one from Woodcuts from Books of the XVI Century is a foundational print created by the influential German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). Executed in 1528, the year of the artist’s death, this work represents the culmination of Dürer’s extensive decades-long research into anatomy, perspective, and geometry. The piece is rendered using the woodcut technique in black ink on ivory laid paper, showcasing the technical precision required for mass reproduction typical of Northern European prints during this period.

The illustration was intended for Dürer’s posthumously published theoretical treatise, Vier Bücher von der Menschlichen Proportion (Four Books on Human Proportion). This seminal volume, a cornerstone of German art theory, aimed to establish a comprehensive system for calculating and altering the dimensions of the ideal human figure based on geometric principles, reflecting the Renaissance ideal of unifying art and mathematics. The composition itself likely demonstrates methods for using measured grids and proportional relationships to standardize the male form.

This specific example, assembled by Max Geisberg (1875-1943) into the collection Woodcuts from Books of the XVI Century, helps preserve critical examples of German printmaking history. Dürer’s dedication to producing affordable, widely accessible prints allowed his sophisticated theoretical ideas to disseminate across Europe. The legacy of this analytic approach to the figure, and the print itself, is conserved today within the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.