Clone of Vesalius, De humani corporis fabrica libri septem, 1543

This image, from the title page of the most famous anatomical treatise of all time, depicts the learned anatomist at work with his own hands, rather than delegating this manual labour to a barber surgeon. The size of the crowd around him illustrates the difficulty of obtaining a close view of dissections, which led to the development of anatomy theatres.

The image features some remarkable elements: classical architecture, including Corynthian pillars; the coat-of-arms of the Vesalius family (Van Wesel, literally weasel, hence the three weasels depicted on it); a human skeleton and the anatomised body, which is unusually that of a woman; Vesalius himself, looking at the viewer, one hand pointing upwards toward the skeleton and the other almost touching the anatomised body; the two animals, a monkey (on the left) and a sheep or dog on the right. Three dominant figures look at Vesalius, and these have been identified as Galen, Aristotle, and Hippocrates.   

The colour image originates from the dedication copy presented by Vesalius to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, in the autumn of 1543. It was sumptuously bound in purple velvet, with gilt and gauffered edges and four pairs of blue silk ties. Vesalius was appointed physician to the Emperor immediately following the presentation of this volume. The volume is currently in a private collection; the current owner bought it at a Christie's auction for $1,652,500 (1998). 

Online resources for exploring the history of anatomical images are already available in abundance. These provide plenteous material for creating introductions to this subject at many different educational levels. To the source of engraved imagery listed below must be added material on the illuminated manuscript traditions of the Middle Ages.

Anatomia 1522-1867: Anatomical Plates from the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto, featuring 4500 full page plates from 95 different titles.

Ars Anatomica: Imaging the Renaissance Body by the Edinburgh University Library and the Royal College of Physicians, is a smaller virtual exhibition focused on contextualising Vesalius, with an image gallery for ease of navigation.

Printing the body: Early illustrated medical books from the library of Sir Geoffrey Keynes is a smaller but more richly annotated virtual exhibition at the Cambridge University Library.

Turning the Pages is a virtual copy of Vesalius's De Humani Corporis Fabrica with pop-up commentary on the main features of the text and images. From the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Vivitur ingenio: The 500th anniversary of Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)is a rich and scholarly virtual exhibition in the Cambridge University Library marking the quincentenary of the birth of Vesalius. In an accompanying video, Andrew Cunningham talks about De humani corporis fabrica libri septem(1543) and (from 3.58 onwards) its iconic frontispiece, which also receives special attention in the exhibition. One of the very best virtual exhibitions of its time, this will remain the natural online point of departure for relatively advanced students exploring this area. The Medical Cabinet can help anatomise it for other users and thereby to embed it within curricula at various levels.