Leonardo

Da Vincis
Vitruvian Man
The 'Vitruvian Man' is a famous
drawing with accompanying
notes by Leonardo da Vinci
made around the year 1492 in
one of his journals. It depicts a
naked male figure in two
superimposed positions with his
arms and legs apart and
simultaneously inscribed in a
circle and square. The drawing
and text are sometimes called
the Canon of Proportions or, less
often, Proportions of Man. It is
on display in the Gallerie dell'
Accademia in Venice, Italy.
According to Leonardo's notes in
the accompanying text (written
in mirror writing) it was made as
a study of the proportions of the
(male) human body as described Arm Span

by the Ancient Roman architect

Vitruvius, who wrote that in the Height

human body:

the length of a
man's outspread
arms is equal to
his height
2.

Length from the

elbow to the Elbow to
end of hand

end of the hand

Height

is equal to one
quarter of
height
3.

Length of the
hand is one Hand

tenth of height
Height

4.

Length of the
Foot

foot is one
seventh of