Anatomical models and wax Venuses: art masterpieces or scientific craft works?

Abstract

The art of wax modelling has an ancient origin but rose to prominence in 14th century Italy with the cult of votive artefacts. With the advent of Neoclassicism this art, now deemed repulsive, continued to survive in a scientific environment, where it flourished in the study of normal and pathological anatomy, obstetrics, zoology and botany. The achievement of having originated the creation of anatomical models in coloured wax must be ascribed to a joint effort undertaken by the Sicilian wax modeller Gaetano Giulio Zumbo and the French surgeon Guillaume Desnoues in the late 17th century. Interest in anatomical wax models spread throughout Europe during the 18th century, first in Bologna with Ercole Lelli, Giovanni Manzolini and Anna Morandi, and then in Florence with Felice Fontana and Clemente Susini. In England, the art of anatomical ceroplastics was brought to London from Florence by the sculptor Joseph Towne. Throughout the centuries many anatomical artists preferred this material due to the remarkable mimetic likeness obtained, far surpassing any other material. Independent of the material used, whether wood, wax or clay, anatomical models were always considered merely craft works confined to hospitals or faculties of medicine and have survived to this day only because of their scientific interest. Italian and English waxes are stylistically different but the remarkable results obtained by Susini and Towne, and the fact that some contemporary artists are again representing anatomical wax bodies in their works, makes the border that formerly separated art and craft indistinguishable.

Early Use of Simulation in Medical Education

“…20 The Wellcome Collection has another that has flower-shaped internal structures. 22 The Anatomia del Cigoli (''Cigoli's Anatomy'') or lo scorticato (the skinned man) is well preserved and displayed with a bronze copy in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence. 13,21 Dissected material was hard to preserve, and at various times and places, it was either difficult to acquire or illegal, so anatomic models were created from more durable materials.…”

“…22 One of the few surviving models is a standing figure made of 3000 intricately detailed wooden pieces that could each be moved, and the figure could be made into a male or female. 22 One of the few surviving models is a standing figure made of 3000 intricately detailed wooden pieces that could each be moved, and the figure could be made into a male or female.…”

Insight into the history of anatomopathological museums – Part 1. From casual assemblages to scientific collections

“…The models were made by Clemente Sussini (1754-1814) and his assistants. La Specola exhibits were shown to Emperor Joseph II in 1780, and the models were included in the collections for Josephinum (1782) -Military School of Medicine in Vienna [38,39,40,41,42,43,44].…”

Modern day relevance of William Hunter's approach to teaching “The organ of hearing”

“…Fontana's models soon became an art form and are now housed in Florence in La Specola (Riva et al, 2010;Maerker, 2011). Joseph Towne (1808-1879) introduced wax anatomical models to England in the 19th century (Ballestriero, 2010).…”