This has to do with Leonardo da Vinci's sketch of The Vitruvian Man. That made me curious about that topic and how it got that for a name. I did a little research and here, what I think, are a few are interesting tidbits on this topic.
- The drawing gets its name from Vitruvius, who was an accomplished architect in the Roman Empire, born approximately seventy years before Christ.
- Vitruvius made no drawings of his man, but described him.
- Several Italians including da Vinci made drawings based on Vistruvius' description, but not until 1,500 years later.
- Although others made drawings, da Vinci was the first to overlay the circle and square to show relationships.
- Leonardo was born in 1452 in Vinci, Italy - Thus "da Vinci".
- Leonardo's drawing was in one of his notebooks, which is why there is writing above and below the drawing.
- Even though it was on paper, the drawing still exists. It is located in Venice and is occasionally displayed.
- As mentioned in The Sports Gene, a person's wingspan is not always the same as the height (although mine is to the inch). If interested, there are several good class projects involving measurement and The Vitruvian Man on the internet.
- Leonardo of course was famous for other works of art as well. I'm guessing that this along with The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa make him the artist with the most parodied works ever. (See below for a small sampling).
