Vitruvian Man by Leonardo: The Circle, the Square and Vitruvius

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A drawing about human proportion

The Vitruvian Man is a pen-and-ink drawing on paper, made by Leonardo around 1490. It shows a naked man in two overlapping positions, inscribed in both a circle and a square. It belongs to the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, where it is rarely shown because light damages the paper.

Based on an ancient Roman architect

The drawing illustrates an idea from Vitruvius, a Roman architect of the first century BC. He wrote that a well-proportioned human body fits inside both a circle and a square. Many artists had tried to draw this; Leonardo solved it by moving the circle’s centre to the navel and the square’s centre lower down.

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A serious, staring face

Frowning face with curly hair, drawn in brown ink — A serious, staring face.

The man stares straight out with a frowning, intense expression, framed by curly hair. Some have suggested it could be a self-portrait of Leonardo, but there is no evidence for this.

Four arms and four legs

Two outstretched hands touching the square and the circle — Hands touch the square and the circle.

One pair of arms stretches straight out, touching the sides of the square. The other is raised, so the fingertips touch the circle.

Feet standing together and spread on the circle — Legs in two positions.

Likewise, one pair of legs stands together inside the square, and the other is spread so the feet touch the circle. Small marks along the lines record measurements.

Notes in mirror writing

Above and below the figure, Leonardo wrote notes in his usual mirror script, from right to left. They paraphrase Vitruvius and list proportions: for example, that the length of the outspread arms equals a man’s height.

Questions about the Vitruvian Man

Is it a painting?

No. It is a pen-and-ink drawing on paper.

Where is it?

Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice. It is rarely on display.

Who was Vitruvius?

A Roman architect whose writings on proportion inspired the drawing.

How large is it?

About 34.6 × 25.5 centimetres.

Sources and image credit

Public-domain reproduction of the Vitruvian Man (about 1490), via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same drawing; no reconstruction or upscaling.