Vitruvian Sacred Geometry
Vitruvian Sacred Geometry is a Hermetic / Renaissance Vitruvian — canonical proportions body system as transmitted through the lineage Vitruvius’s De architectura describes the human figure through symmetry, modular proportions, and the relationship of the standing body to circle and square. Leonardo’s Renaissance drawing made that construction visually famous; this map separates the textual proportional landmarks from the later golden-section interpretation and treats both as diagrammatic rather than anatomical claims.. This page lists every point in the system with sourced placements and links to cross-tradition correspondences curated for The Body Spiritual.
Open in interactive explorerPrimary sources
- Vitruvius, De architectura (Book III, chapters 1–3; Loeb Classical Library 1914, trans. Morris Hicky Morgan) — Book III.1–3 sets out the human figure’s proportional modules, symmetry, and the circle-and-square construction; the head-as-eighth-part convention is taken from the proportional discussion.
- Leonardo da Vinci, Paris Manuscript B and accompanying Vitruvian Man drawing (Codex Atlanticus / Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, folio 228r; c. 1490) — Leonardo’s annotated figure visualises the circle and square around a standing human body and adds Renaissance proportional observations; it is a reception and reinterpretation of Vitruvius.
- Richard Tobin, “The Shape of the Human Body in Vitruvius,” in The Journal of Roman Studies (Journal of Roman Studies 78 (1988), pp. 107–115) — Modern analysis of Vitruvian anthropometric ratios and the interpretive problems of reconstructing the ancient proportional text.
Known lineage variants
- Vitruvius’s Latin proportion language has disputed readings, and surviving manuscripts do not provide one universally fixed coordinate diagram.
- The circle-and-square construction is textually motivated and Renaissance-illustrated; the golden-section torso guide is a later interpretive layer and is labelled accordingly.
- The body is front-view and anatomical-right is x below 0.5; hand and foot endpoints are approximate silhouette landmarks.
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- Crown — top of the figure — upper limit of the canonical figure
- Chin — head module base — head module boundary
- Nipples — torso cross-axis — transverse proportion reference
- Navel — central measure — figure’s central landmark
- Pubis — lower module — pelvic proportional landmark
- Left hand — reach endpoint — arm-span endpoint
- Right hand — reach endpoint — arm-span endpoint
- Feet — stance endpoints — base of standing figure
Frequently asked
What is Crown — top of the figure?
Crown — top of the figure is a proportional landmark used to read the Vitruvian figure’s symmetry and modules. The point is a diagrammatic reference derived from the architectural text and Renaissance visual reception, not a diagnostic or metaphysical body centre.
What is Chin — head module base?
Chin — head module base is a proportional landmark used to read the Vitruvian figure’s symmetry and modules. The point is a diagrammatic reference derived from the architectural text and Renaissance visual reception, not a diagnostic or metaphysical body centre.
What is Nipples — torso cross-axis?
Nipples — torso cross-axis is a proportional landmark used to read the Vitruvian figure’s symmetry and modules. The point is a diagrammatic reference derived from the architectural text and Renaissance visual reception, not a diagnostic or metaphysical body centre.
What is Navel — central measure?
Navel — central measure is a proportional landmark used to read the Vitruvian figure’s symmetry and modules. The point is a diagrammatic reference derived from the architectural text and Renaissance visual reception, not a diagnostic or metaphysical body centre.
What is Pubis — lower module?
Pubis — lower module is a proportional landmark used to read the Vitruvian figure’s symmetry and modules. The point is a diagrammatic reference derived from the architectural text and Renaissance visual reception, not a diagnostic or metaphysical body centre.
What is Left hand — reach endpoint?
Left hand — reach endpoint is a proportional landmark used to read the Vitruvian figure’s symmetry and modules. The point is a diagrammatic reference derived from the architectural text and Renaissance visual reception, not a diagnostic or metaphysical body centre.
What is Right hand — reach endpoint?
Right hand — reach endpoint is a proportional landmark used to read the Vitruvian figure’s symmetry and modules. The point is a diagrammatic reference derived from the architectural text and Renaissance visual reception, not a diagnostic or metaphysical body centre.
What is Feet — stance endpoints?
Feet — stance endpoints is a proportional landmark used to read the Vitruvian figure’s symmetry and modules. The point is a diagrammatic reference derived from the architectural text and Renaissance visual reception, not a diagnostic or metaphysical body centre.