At the Origin of Leonardo’s Ideal Man

Abstract

After the discovery and the research developed in the last twenty years, it has been possible to announce, in 2010, a convincing attribution for the manuscript brought to the attention of the public as Vitruvio Ferrarese. The author is Giacomo Andrea da  Ferrara. Luca Pacioli defined him a great expert on Vitruvius and a very close friend of Leonardo da Vinci (“suo quanto fratello”). The discovery of the author was possible just because of the profound relationships between the drawings of Giacomo Andrea and Leonardo in the creation of the famous Vitruvian Man. The reconstructed phases of the drawing process show that the beginning of the formation of the images took place on the folios of the manuscript by Giacomo Andrea with an intense collaboration with Leonardo. Notwithstanding the creative team work, taking place between the two artists in Milan at the end of XV century, Giacomo and Leonardo ended up representing rather different ideal men. The tragic death of Giacomo Andrea in 1500 has obscured his role in the culture of the Renaissance.