Vitruvian Man - Leonardo da Vinci, 1487. (Historical Wall Art)
This print is simple, iconic, and easy to live with. The pen lines feel calm and direct, and the circle and square give it a clean structure that looks great as wall art in an office, studio, or reading corner. If your home decor leans warm and old-world, it sits nicely with other vintage art prints.
About this art print
Vitruvian Man is Leonardo’s study of human proportion, made around 1487., with notes inspired by Vitruvius, a Roman architect who wrote about “ideal” measurements in the human body. The idea is straightforward: the same body can be measured in different ways, so Leonardo places the figure in two positions at once, then fits it inside a circle and a square. It is one of those images that feels almost modern, even though it comes from the Renaissance.
What makes it more than a symbol is that Leonardo did not just copy an old text. He tested proportions himself, then adjusted the geometry so the square and circle can work without twisting the body. The original drawing is held by the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, and it is rarely displayed because paper is fragile over time. That same Renaissance love of clean line and careful proportion shows up again in St. George On Horseback (Albrecht Dürer, 1508.), where you can see the same careful study of the human figure, just turned into movement, armor, and a real scene.
Craft & finish
This Vitruvian Man art print is made on hand-processed paper, highlighted with subtle gold and sealed with beeswax for an authentic parchment feel. Please note that colors can look slightly different from screen to screen.
Find more prints like this in our Vintage Art Prints collection.
Vitruvian Man (Leonardo da Vinci, 1487.) - Vintage Art Print
In case your print creases during the travel, as it usually does travel for some time, you can safely warm it up with a hair-dryer, and the wax will melt back right into it. You can also use a lighter, which is a much faster method, but be careful to keep the flame either above the paper or parallel to it (which means holding the paper vertically) so it doesn't smudge or even catch fire. The chance of the print actually creasing is very small, as they are rolled in bubble-wrap and shipped in a cardboard box. Also, be sure to keep the print out of the direct sunlight, as it can melt or fade.
Visit the link below to see more about how our replicas are made, how to display them, and repair the damage:
https://www.artifex-replicas.com/post/about-our-parchment-replicas
