De humani corporis fabrica (Of the Structure of the Human Body)
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Overall: 15 9/16 x 10 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (39.5 x 26.7 x 8.3 cm) page: 15 1/4 x 10 1/4 in. (38.7 x 26 cm)
Classification
Books
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dr. Alfred E. Cohn, in honor of William M. Ivins Jr., 1953
Accession Number
53.682
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the revolutionary world of Renaissance anatomy with *De humani corporis fabrica* (Of the Structure of the Body), a landmark 1555 edition published in Basel. Authored by the pioneering anatomist Andreas Vesalius, with exquisite woodcut illustrations attributed to artist Jan Stephen van Calcar (also known John of Calcar) printed by Johann Oporinus, this transformed medical understanding. Vesalius's meticulous dissections challenged centuries-old Galenic traditions, presenting the human body with unprecedented accuracy through detailed plates of skeletons, muscles, and organs. The wood...