THE DRAWING.

Measurement of Young Children According to Albert Durer.

We must not conceal how confusing and challenging it is to convey what this author says about proportions. Therefore, without getting further into it, we will explain some measurements for young children as he suggests. He says to take the third part of their mother's or another woman's height and divide this height into four parts. The first part is for the head and neck. It is split in two, with the midpoint being the position of the eyebrows, and what's above is for the forehead and top of the head. What's below is divided into two parts, leaving the lower two for the chin and neck. The next six are divided further into two. One includes the length of the nose, while the other should be subdivided again. At the division line starts the lower lip, which determines the mouth's opening; below is entirely for the chin. The second part stretches from under the neck to the hip height. The third is counted from the top of the hips to above the knee, and from there to the soles is the fourth part of the whole figure. As for the arms, the shoulder bone takes two elevenths, and the elbow bone along with the hand forms one-quarter of the whole, just like in larger figures. However, here the hand is the ninth part. The width of the clavicles is particularly notable in children; it must be two-ninths between the joints of the arm bones with the shoulder, and of two.

Translation Notes:

- "Mésure": Translated as "Measurement," referring to the system or unit used to determine proportions.
- "sou-menton": Translated as "chin," refers to the lower part of the face.
- Measurements like "two elevenths," "one quarter," etc., reflect the division of body parts in fractional proportions typical in classical drawing.