Amboise14 Vitruvian Man Leonardo da Vinci drew the figure of man in a circle and a square. He thus illustrated the theories regarding the proportions of the body, expressed in antiquity by the Roman architect Vitruvius (around 50 BC). For Vitruvius, man provided the perfect model of harmony that architecture must follow. For Leonardo da Vinci, man is composed of water, earth and fire, and is a microcosm, a "miniature version" of nature. His formal perfection is a reflection of the perfection of creation.