Study in human proportions by Durer. Male body (rear view) and ratios (upper left) as sketched by German painter and artist Albrecht Durer (1471-1528). Durer carried out extensive research on human proportions in the period 1507 to 1523, using precise measurements made on men, women and children. He measured the distances between defined points on the human body, and divided the body into six equal parts to produce a mathematical model. The result was his 'Vier Bucher von menschlicher Proportion' (Four Books on Human Proportion) of 1528. This sketch is part of the British Library's collections of drawings and notes by Durer.