Head of a child 1520

This is Albrecht Dürer’s ‘Head of a Child,’ a drawing made around 1520. Dürer was at the intersection of the late Gothic and early Renaissance periods. He brings a Northern European sensibility to traditionally Italianate subjects. Here, the artist captures the universal vulnerability of infancy. The child's slightly open mouth and closed eyes evoke a sense of helplessness, a stark reality in a time of high infant mortality. Consider the emotional weight of this image in the context of the 16th century. The swaddled baby hints at contemporary child-rearing practices. While Dürer was a man of his time, this particular image speaks to a tender intimacy. It transcends the conventions of portraiture to reveal the universal and deeply personal experience of new life.