Vitruvian: the perfect figure
Zannetti new collection and new mecanichal movement
The Vitruvian Man is a Leonardo da Vinci’s pencil and ink drawing made on paper (34x24cm), dated around year 1490 and preserved in the drawing and prints Office of Venice Academy’s Galleries. This legendary illustration of the ideal human body’s proportions shows how the body can perfectly fit into two “perfect” figures like a circle and a square. Leonard in fact wanted to postulate the mathematical measurable base of the artistic representation; for this reason he extensively writes about the proportions of the single human parts, starting form the basic dimension of the man’s height centred on his navel. The research for perfect proportions constitutes the main inspiration of the exquisite Zannetti’s Vitruvian dial entirely covered by polychrome trans lucid enamels. A square in scripted in the watch’s bezel circle, shiny because of a rhodium treatment, arises from a hand-engraved and hand-enamelled base created with the use of ancient working techniques where the human hand is fundamental and irreplaceable.
The mechanic used inside the Vitruvian is absolutely as excellent as its manufacture and inspiration. In fact, in its heart for the first time there is a sophisticated automatic mechanical cal. MCMLXXXII-11A/B. This new movement is the RI elaboration of a 167 Enicar mechanism, modernised and all hand-engraved. The result is a unique movement of efficient performances thanks to its 45h reserve of charge and of stunning esthetical beauty. The final result is a timepiece highly precious, unique in its nature, whose complicate realisation absolutely implies a production in limited edition.
The Vitruvian Man (Le proporzioni del corpo umano secondo Vitruvio) is a drawing created by Leonardo da Vinci circa 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 male figure in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and simultaneously 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’s drawing is traditionally named in honor of the architect.