Boundaries of the Body: The Art of Anatomy in the Seventeenth-Century Netherlands

Investigating the contents of art treatises, anatomical atlases and collections in the seventeenth-century Netherlands, my dissertation argues that anatomists adapted artists’ techniques and devices to proclaim the author’s authority, mediate the perception of the viewer, and encourage disciplinary boundaries between art and medicine. Contrary to anatomists’ written comments, which often dismiss the role of the artist, anatomical prints, drawings, and prepared specimens rely on pictorial practice to produce knowledge about the body. Through representative techniques, including trompe l’oeil, m... Mehr ...