Da Vinci – Coffee Cup and Platter – Vitruvian Man (1490)

A detail of the The Vitruvian Man” (1490) by Da Vinci is illustrated on the surface of this porcelain limited edition coffee cup and platter.

The Vitruvian Man, Italian: Le proporzioni del corpo umano secondo Vitruvio, is a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci around 1490. It is accompanied by notes based on the work of the architect Vitruvius. The drawing, which is in pen and ink on paper, depicts a man in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and 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 kept in the Gabinetto dei disegni e stampe of the Gallerie dell’Accademia, in Venice, Italy, under reference 228. Like most works on paper, it is displayed to the public only occasionally.

The drawing is based on the correlations of ideal human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise De Architectura. Vitruvius described the human figure as being the principal source of proportion among the Classical orders of architecture. Vitruvius determined that the ideal body should be eight heads high. Leonardo “drawing is traditionally named in honor of the architect.

Leonardo DaVinci tended to compensate for his lack of an education in the classical sense with an excess of empirical studies. The most famous of these is the Vitruvian Man so called because it is based on a description of the ideal human proportions by Roman architect Vitruvius (around 85-20 BC) The study of ideal proportions illustrates the mingling of art and science during the Renaissance perfectly. Da Vinci viewed the human body as a reflection of the universe. He therefore referred to his anatomical studies as cosmografia del minor mondo. A popular though unproven theory is that Da Vinci saw the circle as the domain of human emotion whereas the square symbolized matter

• Size: 7.9″ x 3.9″ x 3.0″
• Volume (oz): 3.4
• Material: Porcelain
• Limited edition of 5,000
• Certificate and cups individually numbered by hand
• Genuine 22-carat gold decoration
• Plates with exceptional printed motif on the underside
• Collection booklet with background information on the painters and artwork
• Supplied in an attractive gift box

Recommended to clean by hand with a mild cleanser to preserve the brilliant colors.