Self-Portrait at the Age of 13

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Self-Portrait at the Age of 13 (simplified)

Albrecht Dürer drew this silverpoint self-portrait in 1484, when he was about 12 or 13 years old. It is Dürer’s oldest surviving drawing and one of the earliest self-portraits in European art. The drawing is now in the Albertina museum in Vienna, part of the Habsburg collections.

In the picture, Dürer shows himself half-length in profile, with long hair and a youthful, pleasant face. His right arm is raised, and his index finger points toward something outside the frame. The self-image is flattering and confident, hinting at his future skill as an artist. He is drawn with elongated fingers, a feature some artists used to show draftsman ability.

The work was likely created before his formal training with Michael Wolgemut. It may have been a challenge or exercise given by his father, Albrecht Dürer the Elder. Later, Dürer wrote that even simple sketches can express the spirit of an artist, which fits with this early self-portrait.

Although it is often called Self-Portrait at the Age of 13, the title is a later invention; the drawing was made when he was about 12. It was signed much later, probably in the 1520s, with the words: “This I drew myself from a mirror in the year 1484, when I was still a child. Albrecht Dürer.”