PIETRO BERRETTINI DA CORTONA
FRANCISCUS PETRAGLIA
TABULAE ANATOMICAE, 1788, 2. AUSGABE, BILDER AB 1618
EXHIBITION OF THE BODY BY THE LIVING DEAD
The work consists of 27 large-format anatomical plates that are believed to have been created between 1618 and 1620. However, they were actually not published until 1741, more than a hundred years later. The present version was edited by the Italian philosopher and anatomist Franciscus Petraglia in 1788.
The introduction and plate descriptions take up almost one hundred pages, followed by the engravings. Some images show the figures as active participants in their own dissection. The living dead show the observer their body parts. This active integration of the specimens is found in anatomical works from the 16th to 18th century; however, Cortona's images are deemed to be the "zenith" of this type of illustration.
The pictures make us question where the inside of the human body begins. If, for example, a body shows us its own internal organs, it is revealing what is concealed inside. The architectural or scenic background defines the outer frame. Additional limitations are achieved by the mirror and picture frame that are drawn alongside the figures.