Cranial Dissection, plate five from Myologie complete
Medium
Color mezzotint, with touches of engraving on cream laid paper, varnished
Dimensions
Image/plate: 32 × 40 cm (12 5/8 × 15 3/4 in.); Sheet: 39.2 × 56 cm (15 7/16 × 22 1/16 in.)
Classification
mezzotint
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
149494
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In the dedication of his book, to King Louis XV, Gautier D’Agoty justified his subject matter in true Enlightenment form by pointing out that the head most differentiates men from animals and is “the Temple of Wisdom, and Sanctuary of Virtue.” Gautier offered his “printed paintings” to the king as a substitute for observing the dissected specimens in person: “YOUR MAJESTY would not deign to cast his eyes on these marvels from too close and affecting a distance. I present them to you faithfully p...