TheVitruvian Manis a world-renowneddrawingcreated byLeonardo da Vinciaround the year 1487.It is accompanied by notes based on the work of the famed architect,Vitruvius Pollio. The drawing, which is in pen and ink on paper, depicts a 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 theCanon of Proportionsor, less often,Proportions of Man. It is stored in theGallerie dell'AccademiainVenice, Italy, and, like most works on paper, is displayed only occasionally.
The drawing is based on the correlations of ideal human proportions with geometry describedby the ancient Roman architectVitruviusin Book III of his treatiseDe Architectura. Vitruvius described the human figure as being the principal source of proportion among theClassical ordersof architecture. Other artists had attempted to depict this concept, with less success. Leonardo's drawing is traditionally named in honor of the architect.