Head of a Young Woman

This 1522 head of a young woman at the Metropolitan Museum is a late study demonstrating Dürer's continued commitment to the precise observation of human features. Such head studies served both as independent works and as preparatory studies for larger compositions Albrecht Dürer brought Italian Renaissance ideas north, combining German Gothic tradition with classical proportions to become the dominant artist in the German-speaking world Oil on canvas, increasingly preferred over panel in the s

The face is modeled with delicate precision, the features rendered with restrained elegance. The minimal background and focused lighting concentrate attention on the subtle modeling of the young woman's features.