Anatomy Lesson
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Anatomy Lesson
Anatomy Lesson:
Introduction
In this lab activity sequence, you are encouraged to roll up your skin, er, sleeves, to inspect and digest digital content related to Vesalius's works on human anatomy. First we will look at some imagery, a video and 3D interactive model relating to the appended seventh book, or Epitome, of the multi-volume set. These are provided in a remarkable site created by the Cambridge University Library, which you can see on its dedicated website here. Then, below, we will see several important cultural landmarks that deepen and extend the legacy of Vesalius within the arts. Meanwhile, we are thinking about two issues:
- How has the human/animal corpse served as ephemera as object of inquiry in scientific pursuit?
- The humanity in anatomical works.
Section 1: Vesalius, The Epitome of Anatomy
Subsection 1: Hands-off v.s. Hands-on
Subsection 2: Talking Heads
Watch this video for an entry-level grasp of Vesalius and his Epitome.
Subsection 3: Anatomy of a Book
Let your fingers do the walking and use this 3D viewer to see how innovative Vesalius was in his own time with 3D technology.
De humani corporis fabrica. Epitome (CCF.46.36) by Cambridge Digital Library on Sketchfab
Section 2: Give Me a Hand, Please!
Dr. Nicolaes Tulp did not need any help from onlookers when he conducted his autopsy of the executed thief Aris Kindt in January, 1632. That it was mid-winter was certainly the reason Kindt stole a coat in the first place, and it was that twist of fate that landed him dead center in one of Rembrandt's most famous paintings, "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp" (1632). Fresh corpses from summer-time executions did not stay that way long enough for public dissections (a big draw at the time), and celebrity surgeons like Tulp did their handiwork in cold anatomical theaters. The men in ruffled dog collars were fellow doctors given front-row access to the event, and Rembrandt apparently was on the scene as well, though he painted the actual bits and parts (heads, accessories) during separate sittings in his studio. Our attention is drawn to a key point of observation about the painting, which was likely not a factual representation of the event as it occurred. The Mauritshuis Museum, where "Tulp" is held, explains:
It must certainly have been Tulp’s choice to be depicted while starting the dissection by opening up an arm and a hand – in other words, departing from customary practice. The frontispiece of a standard work on human anatomy, De humani corporis fabrica (1543) by the German [sic] anatomist Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), contains a portrait of the author holding a dissected arm. It is tempting to conjecture that Tulp may have wanted to emulate his illustrious predecessor and therefore asked Rembrandt to portray him while working on an arm.
Dissection 1: Take Part
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp is one of Rembrandt’s group portraits. The painting was made in 1632, shortly after the artist’s move from the town of Leiden to Amsterdam. The surgeons’ prestigious commission provided a unique opportunity to become known among art-lovers’ circles in Amsterdam, and the painter did not allow this chance to pass. The painting firmly established Rembrandt’s name as a portraitist.
Anatomy demonstrations organized by the surgeons’ guild were held in Amsterdam since 1555 and they were held in an anatomy theater in De Waag, Amsterdam’s weighing house. The praelector or overseer of the guild would lecture, while the public, anatomy students and laypeople alike, could watch for a fee. Anatomy lessons might last for days: the abdominal cavity and the perishable bowels would be dissected first, followed by the head and limbs. To minimize the stench, the classes were taught in the cold winter months.
Every few years a painter was commissioned to produce an anatomy piece to commemorate one of these demonstrations, perhaps following the appointment of a new praelector or the enrollment of several new members. Nicolaes Tulp (1593-1674) was appointed praelector in 1628, in which capacity he gave nine public lectures between 1631 and 1650, including this immortalized one in 1632. The body made available for this event was that of Adriaen Adriaensz, also known as Aris Kindt, a confirmed criminal who had been sentenced to death for robbery and hanged.
Now, let's look deeply into the painting below or in the Storiiies viewer below. Click the arrows to view the details of the painting and associated annotations referenced from the Mauritshuis Museum.
Dissection 2: Three Hands
Rembrandt painted Tulp above as he demonstrated the workings of the hands. See its connection in the demonstration shown in the portrait of Vesalius below.
Dissection 3: Close Viewing
Now, it's your turn to look closely and discuss with your group members before annotating in the following lab activity, Unit 1 Lab Activity 1: Close Viewing of "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp."