Osteology
bones of the hand
strung skeletal hand echoing the Vesalius dissections peeling back the tendonshand and foot
strung hand and foot echoing the Vesalius dissections peeling back the tendonsbones of the lower arm
strung skeletal hand echoing the Vesalius dissections peeling back the tendonscranial nerves beneath
three views tracing the path of cranial nerves through the skullcranial nerves front
three views tracing the path of cranial nerves through the skullcranial nerves side
three views tracing the path of cranial nerves through the skullcranial shapes in profile
comparing skull shapes in a boxed "cabinet of curiosity" formatcranial frontal side and inside skull
skulls from front, side and back, in a line upcranial shapes face on
comparing skull shapes in a boxed "cabinet of curiosity" formatspine base
segments of the skeleton isolated to show the geometric shapes of the bonesneck and shoulder
segments of the skeleton isolated to show the geometric shapes of the bonesspine and ribs
segments of the skeleton isolated to show the geometric shapes of the bonesdisarticulated skull left
three views of a skull in balance to give a feel of the weight distribution of the bonesdisarticulated skull back
three views of a skull in balance to give a feel of the weight distribution of the bonesdisarticulated skull right
three views of a skull in balance to give a feel of the weight distribution of the bonesbones of finger
laid out with labels, but referencing ouija boards and psychic medium imagesarm bones
laid out with labels, but referencing ouija boards and psychic medium imageswrist bones
laid out with labels, but referencing ouija boards and psychic medium imagesfoot bones front
isolating the feet to see the arches, but suggesting something elsefoot bones from behind
isolating the feet to see the arches, but suggesting something elsefoot bones profile
isolating the feet to see the arches, but suggesting something elsepelvis with bad repair
with flesh, but without clothes, these images would be pornographicpelvis side view with damage
with flesh, but without clothes, these images would be pornographicpelvis thin bone cracks
with flesh, but without clothes, these images would be pornographicskull bone thickness sphenoid
thin areas of bone in the eye, accessed for lobotomiesskull
a standard beauty shot angle of a skullskull bone thickness
thin areas on the side of the skull showing artery pathwaysbrain case bissected
suspended skull to show the balance pointbrain case
suspended skull to show the balance point, but also suggesting a basketbrain case showing zygomatic arch
suspended skull to show the balance pointShow More
Finding new ways to display human skeletons for study and to highlight the differences in form and structure that tell of their lives.
Historic anatomy illustrations mixed intricate detail with artistic licence. Skeletons were shown standing, lifelike, no doubt achieved by propping and hanging the cadavers in place for the artist to accuratey depict. Some illustrations transport the dead into a landscape or emotive scene; others unabashedly show a dead thing; the pins, strings and probes in position, showing every detail, sometimes even the dead man's face. Many illustrations struggle between balancing labelling the anatomy and leaving the picture uncluttered.
This series of images mixes artistic poses with comparative layouts, labelling and strings. It is rare for the public to be able to view a variety of skeletons together in order to learn how the subtle differences that tell experts the sex, age and life history of the person. To an experienced eye, they will reveal hints of the life lived by the skeleton. They even show the damage that these dated anatomical specimens have sustained, raising the question of how long they will last, and if they will be replaced with anything but identical plastic facsimiles that lack the individuality of a life history.
More discussion on this topic in this blog post.