Albinus on Anatomy

by Robert Beverly Hale, Terence Coyle

This beautiful, enthralling book represents the rarest of human a work of great scientific merit that is a magnificent work of art as well. Bernard Siegfried Albinus was the greatest descriptive anatomist of the eighteenth century. Over a period of twenty years, he produced two volumes of drawings, Tables of the Skeleton and Muscles of the Human Body and Tables of the Human Bones, that have long been revered for their beauty, skill, artistry, and anatomical accuracy. This finely made edition makes them available to the general public at an easily affordable price for the first time since their publication in 1747.
All 80 of the original copperplate engravings, containing over 230 individual illustrations, have been painstakingly reproduced for this edition. The muscles and bones of the human body are rendered individually and in related groups from varying perspectives, enabling art students to compare the forms; to analyze their size, shape, direction, and attachments; and to observe with absolute clarity the shape and position of bodily forms. Eighty modern diagrams matching each plate identify each bone and muscle in the most common medical terms.
The eminent medical historian Charles Singer praised Albinus' brilliant "He introduced a new standard of accuracy into practical anatomy and of accuracy and beauty into anatomical illustrations." Singer "These illustrations, with their finely wrought ornamental backgrounds, were intended for artists as well as for physicians, and no finer work of their type has ever been executed."
Introductory essays by the well-known artist and art educator Terence Coyle — including a new introduction to the Dover edition — engagingly explore Albinus' life and work. Following these, Robert Beverly Hale, one of America's best-known teachers of figure drawing and anatomy, brilliantly appraises Albinus' technique and demonstrates how artists today can use his anatomical studies to draw from life, a special feature that makes this magnificent book truly indispensable for artists and art students at every level.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference, Science, Drawing, Art Design

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Robert Beverly Hale (1901–November 14, 1985) was an artist, curator of American paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and instructor of artistic anatomy at the Art Students League of New York and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...

Reviews

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, was, and will likely always be my favorite resource I've ever used when I think about anatomy. It is so, so beautiful in its own right and it kills me that the copy I used in school had to be returned to its rightful owner, my painting mentor Mela. I've got to find myself a copy, because I feel myself pining for it again.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The classic 1979 Watson-Guptill "Albinus On Anatomy," by Hale and Coyle, is still perhaps the most authoritative reference on human anatomy for the artist. Many of Albinus' exquisite engravings are unmatched in their accuracy and precision, even today. And when combined with the detailed and highly informative tables produced by his artistic collaborator, Jan Wandelaar, they constitute a reference source that is still used by medical students and artists alike. Albinus worked on these engravings for 20 years, publishing them in 1747. Hale and Coyle discovered them in the rare book room of the New York Academy of Medicine. Their resulting publication resurrected interest in Albinus, and copies of his engravings have now become almost ubiquitous.

"Albinus on Anatomy" has over 200 pages of tables, plates, and accompanying illustrations. Individual chapters are devoted to bones and muscles of the body, the head and neck, the vertebral column and rib cage, the pelvis and thigh, the knee and lower leg, the foot, the shoulder girdle, the arm, and the hand. The book also contains a helpful index.

[Mephistopheles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way better drawings than Richer's book. The hatching is clean, clear, and utterly three-dimensional. Each muscle and bone pops from the page so it is much easier to gain a mental image of the three-dimensionality of the forms that make up the human body. That said, I wish there was more of it!

[Kon · Rating 5 out of 5]

this has been incredible both as a tool to understand the human body but also as a piece of art in itself. the prints this book contains are fantastic, some of the best ive ever seen

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

Bernhard Siegfried Albinus (1697 - 1770) was a German-born Dutch anatomist which probably explains why even in the eighteen century, his drawings were so accurate. This anatomy book is a compilation of work from two books he wrote at that time, Tabulae Sceleti et Musculorum Corporis Humani (Tables of the Human Body) and Tabulae Ossium Humanorum (Table of the Human Bones).

When I first saw work of Albinus, it was in Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters. There's a skeleton posing in front of a grazing rhinoceros. And on the cover of this book, there's a cupid over a skeleton's shoulder, trying to throw a cloth over it. How cool is that?

Apparently, the drawings were actually copperplate engravings created with the help of Jan Wandelaar. He's the guy who added the decorative background art. It's great foresight to use long lasting engravings instead of print. The reproduction in this book is brilliant because of that, being able to retain all the details not lost to any degradation. You can still see clearly the intricate cross hatches that wrap onto the surface of muscles and bones.

The content is presented with both the original anatomy illustration together with an outlined line art with labels. There are also close ups on the specific parts, which are a marvel to look at. It's comprehensive enough but nothing is mentioned on how the muscles work or body functions.

Overall a pretty useful and definitely interesting anatomy reference book.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review refers to the Dover (1988) paperback edition. Dover offers many books for artists that are no longer published by their original publishers. This edition is a republication of the work originally published by Watson-Guptill in 1979. The pages are opaque with sewn signatures and have not dropped out as so often happens with paper backs held with glue. The book has 160 illustrations. (Each shaded engraving has a corresponding key (identification diagram) placed on adjacent pages.) Indispensable anatomy resource for artists and art students.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone made of bones and muscles needs to own this book.We know ourselves better if we have a sense of our bodily organization. As a counselor and workshop leader I am always bringing these images to enhance people's sense of self. Study the skull, the ribcage, the pelvis and the foot. It is artistically beautiful.

[HELLO · Rating 5 out of 5]

comprehensive anatomy and masterful plates. this book is one of my most well-worn references