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Leonardo Da Vinci: The Anatomy of Man
Drawings from the Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), one of the greatest figures of the Italian Renaissance, is renowned not only for the artistic mastery of his painting and drawing but for the richness of his intellect and his insatiable curiosity about all aspects of the natural and man-made world. Leonardo was among the first artists to study human anatomy in great detail, and his anatomical drawings reveal him to be a gifted observer of the human body. He studied not only living men and women but cadavers, which he dissected with painstaking care in order to draw each vessel, muscle, and organ with ultimate precision. The Royal Library at Windsor Castle houses the finest private collection of drawings in the world, and its greatest treasure is a magnificent group of more than six hundred sheets by Leonardo. Reproduced here are forty-one of his finest anatomical drawings, incorporating countless studies and commentaries in the artist's hand. The sheets, dating from 1489 to c. 1513, show the remarkable evolution, of his drawing style as well as his anatomical knowledge. Images of great beauty and scientific interest, they herald Leonardo as one of the most accomplished artists in the history of anatomy.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), one of the greatest figures of the Italian Renaissance, is renowned not only for the artistic mastery of his painting and drawing but for the richness of his intellect and his insatiable curiosity about all aspects of the natural and man-made world. Leonardo was among the first artists to study human anatomy in great detail, and his anatomical drawings reveal him to be a gifted observer of the human body. He studied not only living men and women but cadavers, which he dissected with painstaking care in order to draw each vessel, muscle, and organ with ultimate precision. The Royal Library at Windsor Castle houses the finest private collection of drawings in the world, and its greatest treasure is a magnificent group of more than six hundred sheets by Leonardo. Reproduced here are forty-one of his finest anatomical drawings, incorporating countless studies and commentaries in the artist's hand. The sheets, dating from 1489 to c. 1513, show the remarkable evolution, of his drawing style as well as his anatomical knowledge. Images of great beauty and scientific interest, they herald Leonardo as one of the most accomplished artists in the history of anatomy.
- GenresArtHistoryNonfiction
144 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 12, 2017
Who knew Queen Elizabeth II owns the largest collection of drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci (600 sheets)! This book contains pictures of 41 of them (anatomical drawings) along with commentary from the author of the book, Martin Clayton, assistant curator of drawings and prints at the Royal Library. One of the first artists to study human anatomy in detail, Leonardo (1452-1519)is one of the greatest artists in the history of anatomy. The world is still in awe of this man, who is of course one of the people on my top 10 list of those I would have liked to meet.
May 21, 2008
Beautiful! The first accurate anatomical illustrations of the human body.
(Accurate might be a bit of an exaggeration; he believed the uterus traveled throughout the body and caused systemic illness.)
(Accurate might be a bit of an exaggeration; he believed the uterus traveled throughout the body and caused systemic illness.)
September 4, 2008
Probably the single most amazing exhibit that I've ever seen. While there is no way that a book can do justice to da Vinci's work, this catalog does a terrific job of giving both artistic and anatomic information for each drawing.
October 3, 2011
Reproductions of many pages of notes and sketches about human anatomy by Da Vinci. Filled with really beautiful drawings, and some of them are actually considered accurate enough to be used in modern medical texts. Incredible.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews