Seminar on the Case of Da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’ in Milan
On 4 April 2025, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan will host a seminar, in English, on the case of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.
The Vitruvian Man is a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. Made around 1490, it is a study of ideal body proportions inspired by the teachings of Vitruvius, an architect in ancient Rome, and features a human figure inscribed in a circle and a square. A unique combination of art and scientific ideals, the drawing is one of the most recognisable images of the Renaissance. It is part of the collections of the Gallerie dell’Accademia, a museum in Venice.
In 2019, the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Gallerie dell’Accademia instituted proceedings in Italy against Ravensburger, a jig-saw puzzle manufacturer based in Germany, for the unauthorized use of the image of the Vitruvian Man in one of their puzzles.
They relied on provisions of the Italian Cultural Heritage Code whereby works in the Italian cultural heritage cannot be exploited for commercial purposes without prior authorisation and the payment of fees. The provisions, they argued, apply to any commercial use of the images of such artworks, whether in Italy or elsewhere. The Tribunal of Venice granted the provisional measures sought on this basis, ordering Ravensburger to cease marketing products using the image of the Vitruvian Man.
At that point, Ravensburger began proceedings in Germany seeking a declaration that the above Italian provisions do not apply outside of Italy, noting, inter alia, that those provisions, if upheld, would result in a form of unlimited copyright protection under which the images of the works concerned would be indefinitely prevented from falling into the public domain. In 2024, the Regional Court of Stuttgart ruled in favour of Ravensburger (more on the ruling here and here). Appeal proceedings are pending.
The case raises a range of issues at the crossroads of private international law, art law and intellectual property law. The seminar will address some of those issues. Speakers include Anna Pirri Valentini (IMT School for Advanced Studies, Lucca), Arianna Visconti, Giulio Enrico Sironi and Pietro Franzina (all three Catholic University of the Sacred Heart).
The seminar will also offer an opportunity to commemorate Erik Jayme (1934-2024) and recall his unique passion for law and the arts.
Those wishing to attend the seminar can do so both on-site and on-line. More information, including as regards registration, can be found here.