Just a friendly reminder: Tomorrow night--Friday, April 3rd--will be our next presentation at Observatory; see following for details. This looks to be a good one; hope you can make it!
Morbid Anatomy presents at Observatory:
"Italian Wax Anatomical Models in European Collections"
Marie Dauenheimer, Trustee of the Vesalius Trust and Medical Illustrator
Tomorrow, Friday, April 3rd
Doors open at 7:00; Presentation at 7:30 PM
This illustrated presentation will examine the art and history of the wax anatomical models of the “Museo Zoologico La Specola” in Florence, Italy. Over 2,000 wax models of human anatomy were created by the museum's “Wax Modeling Workshop” from the mid 18th to early 19th century, and the products of their labor--best known to modern audiences through Tachen's Encyclopaedia Anatomica--are considered by many to be the finest anatomical waxworks in the world.
This presentation will address how and why these anatomical masterpieces were created, the artists and anatomists who created them, and the place of these collections in the history of anatomical art. The wax anatomical models of Bologna, which pre-date those of “La Specola,” will also discussed.
Marie Dauenheimer is a board-certified Medical Illustrator living in the Washington D.C. area. She is also a trustee on the board of the Vesalius Trust, a non-profit organization which works to support education and research in medical illustration and related visual communication professions. Marie leads the Vesalius Trust Art and Anatomy tours, which are educational tours of important anatomical museums throughout the world. This year's tour--from October 27 to November 8th--will feature museums in Florence (including "La Specola"), Bologna, Venice, and Padua; for more information about this tour, see this recent post. You can see some of Marie's work by clicking here.
Practical Details
"Italian Wax Anatomical Models in European Collections"
Marie Dauenheimer, Trustee of the Vesalius Trust and Medical Illustrator
Friday, April 3rd
Doors open at 7:00; Presentation at 7:30 PM
Admission: Free
Location: Observatory
543 Union Street (at Nevins) Brooklyn, New York 11215
Entry via Proteus Gowanus Interdisciplinary Gallery and Reading Room; go through back door of gallery, then take a left to find event. Directions here or call 718.243.1572.
To learn more about Observatory, click here; you can also visit our under-construction website by clicking here. To get on mailing list, or if you if you might be interested in presenting an event in the future, email me by clicking here.
Image: Wax Anatomical Venus "La Specola;" Part of the exhibition "Anatomical Theatre."
3 comments:
hello JE!
i've long been meaning to write to say how much i love this blog. i missed your fabulous tea party in brooklyn by about a week, but i'm in the city pretty regularly, so next time i'm on the east coast i plan to come visit the library. the little kitties in the picture having tea! awwww. amongst skeletons and viscera. what an excellent day. :)
congratulations on this fantastic resource. i'm hooked. i stumbled upon some gorgeous anatomical engravings in the u of toronto 'anatomia collection' in mid feb., started posting images, and haven't been the same since. the order and beauty i see in such considerations of the deep layers of the body strikes me as the evidence of a kind of yoga. the opposite of what most people would consider 'morbid.'
blah blah. i could go on all day. suffice to say i'm thrilled you're here, doing what you do. thank you!
xtine
ps: just got my copy of 'death and resurrection in art.' oh. my. god. the squirrel suicide. i can't get over it.
very informative post!
I have been to La Specola several times. It is such a wonderful collection. The anatomical wax sculptures are extraordinary. I would also recommend their bird collection too. If you are ever in Florence, you must add this place to your itinerary.
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