Anatomical drawing
18th century
Medium
Pen and ink, brush and gray wash on blue paper
Dimensions
sheet: 8 5/16 x 13 3/16 in. (21.1 x 33.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Jenny Philippsohn, in memory of Siegfried Philippsohn, 1954
Accession Number
54.580.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Anatomical Drawing*, created by an anonymous French artist in the 18th, offers a glimpse into the era's fascination with the human form. Rendered on striking blue paper, it likely depicts female skeletons or skeletal female figures, blending scientific precision with artistic elegance. Such works were emblematic of the Enlightenment, when anatomists and artists collaborated to advance medical knowledge, echoing influences from pioneers like Andreas Vesalius while reflecting France's vibrant tradition of draftsmanship. The medium—pen and ink for fine lines, paired with brush an...
About the Artist
Anonymous, French, 18th century · 1700–1800
The artist known as Anonymous, French, 18th century, represents a collective of unidentified talents active roughly between 1700 and 1800, a period of profound artistic evolution in France from the opulent Rococo to the austere dawn of Neoclassicism and Revolutionary fervor. Little is documented about their personal training or mentors, as their anonymity obscures individual biographies, though th...