Susanna of Bavaria - Albrecht Dürer

A detailed 1525 portrait study by Albrecht Dürer, depicting Susanna of Bavaria in black chalk and white heightening on green prepared paper.

This portrait study of Susanna of Bavaria, executed by Albrecht Dürer in 1525, demonstrates the artist's technical precision in the medium of chalk on prepared paper. Dürer, a central figure of the Northern Renaissance, utilised a green-tinted ground to provide a mid-tone, allowing his use of white heightening to create volume and light across the subject's features and attire. The sitter is depicted in a three-quarter view, wearing a wide-brimmed hat characteristic of the period's fashion, and holding a small dog, a detail that adds a sense of domestic intimacy to the formal composition.

The drawing captures the sitter with a calm, steady gaze. Dürer's line work is controlled, defining the contours of the face and the folds of the heavy fabric with clarity. The inclusion of jewellery, specifically the necklace and the detailed collar, reflects the social status of the subject. The artist's ability to render textures, from the soft fur of the animal to the structured brim of the hat, is evident throughout the work. This piece provides insight into Dürer's working methods, as he often produced such studies to document the likenesses of notable individuals during his travels and commissions.

As a master of graphic arts, Dürer's approach to portraiture in this study avoids unnecessary ornamentation, focusing instead on the physical presence of the sitter. The use of white chalk to pick out the highlights on the nose, chin, and the animal's head creates a sense of three-dimensional form against the flat, green background. This work remains a clear example of the draughtsmanship that defined Dürer's career, showing his capacity to balance observational accuracy with the stylistic conventions of early sixteenth-century German portraiture.