Anatomical studies
Leonardo dissected about 30 people in the course of his life and made drawings for them. However, he dissected not only people, but also animals. Based on notes in his surviving notebooks, dissections on the following animals can be traced: Horse, cattle, pig and bear. Leonardo also knew of the skeleton of an ape.
Why did Leonardo make anatomical drawings?
Leonardo began his anatomical studies in order to perfectly reproduce human bodies in his paintings. He believed that a work of art could only accurately represent reality if it was created with knowledge of the internal structure, such as the proportions of the bones or the structure of the muscles. In order to be able to produce the equestrian monument to Ludovico Sforza in exact detail, Leonardo also dissected horses. Later, Leonardo's knowledge became so extensive that he planned to publish a textbook on human anatomy with the young professor of medicine Marcantonio della Torre. However, the professor died of the plague in Verona in 1511 and the project could no longer be realized.
What is special about Leonardo's anatomical drawings?
- Leonardo's drawings of human anatomy were the first pictorially correct representations of the anatomy of the human body. They are characterized above all by an impressive attention to detail
- For religious reasons, the dissection of corpses was forbidden at the time. Only in a few rare cases, dissections were allowed to be performed as part of the education at a university. Leonardo therefore usually carried out the dissections in secret. From his time at the papal court in Rome, a letter is preserved in which Leonardo complains that he was reported to Pope Leo X for his dissections. This, however, remained without consequences, as Leonardo was well acquainted with the Pope's family (Medici family)
- Leonardo was the first to do comparative anatomy. As a result, he noticed similarities that exist between the skeletons or organs of humans and those of animals. Further investigation of these similarities would lead centuries later to the theory of evolution
- Leonardo also did not separate art from science in his anatomical drawings. For example, he drew a human fetus in the uterus of a cow or he superimposed two views of a mouth in such a way that they look like the profile drawing of a head.
Human anatomy
Skeleton
Musculature
Internal organs and heart muscle
Blood vessels
Nervous system
Sexual organs and reproduction
Animal anatomy
Comparative anatomy
Reading note
Leonardo da Vinci's drawings of human anatomy are now largely held by the Royal Library at Windsor Castle near London. Leonardo's drawings from their holdings have largely been digitized and can be viewed online. All the illustrations shown on this page can be viewed with explanatory texts on the website of the Royal Collection Trust (RCT). All you have to do is enter the catalog number shown below the images in the search mask. A leading 9 leads to exact search results.
Sources
Website of the exhibiting museum: Royal Library Windsor
Frank Zöllner/ Johannes Nathan, Leonardo da Vinci - Sämtliche Zeichnungen, Taschen (2019)
Especially recommended
Marianne Schneider, Das große Leonardo Buch – Sein Leben und Werk in Zeugnissen, Selbstzeugnissen und Dokumenten, Schirmer/ Mosel (2019)
Leonardo da Vinci, Schriften zur Malerei und sämtliche Gemälde, Schirmer/ Mosel (2011)