Standing Male Nude Holding a Bow ("Poynter Apollo") 1501-3 Albrecht Dürer German As his artistic career advanced and his exposure to Italian art grew, Albrecht Dürer became increasingly preoccupied with the study and representation of ideal human proportion. The Poynter Apollo, named for one of the several collectors who have owned the work over the centuries, is one of four studies by Dürer of the male nude based on classical prototypes and the canon of Vitruvius, the ancient Roman architect whose treatises were reexamined and greatly appreciated during the Renaissance. The drawing also reflects Dürer's experience of and admiration for antique sculpture-in particular, the Apollo Belvedere, which had been recently discovered and was considered the perfect example of male beauty until the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was known to Dürer through drawings and was a source of inspiration in his search for the perfect anatomy. This study, which shows Apollo holding a bow and a glo