The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Digital Library

A composition of three fetal skeletons

About This Item

Title

A composition of three fetal skeletons

Subject

Fetus--anatomy & histology
Skeleton
Bone and Bones--embryology
Book Illustrations

Description

Engraved by C. Huyberts from a specimen by Frederik Ruysch.
A composition of three fetal skeletons standing on a rock formation made of kidney, bladder, and gall stones, with vascular trees in which a small bird is perched. The uppermost skeleton is that of a four-month female fetus and holds a string of pearls in her hand. The skeleton on the left holds a miniature scythe. The skeleton on the right is holding a string of calculi, and weeps into a mesentery.--Cf. Rifkin, B. Human anatomy, p. 153-154.
Title supplied by cataloger.

Creator

Huyberts, Cornelis
Ruysch, Frederik, 1638-1731

Source

Thesaurus Anatomicus, a 10-part work first published from 1701 to 1716, is a catalog of Frederik Ruysch's unusual anatomical collection. Illustrated with over 40 plates, engraved by Joseph Mulder and Cornelis Huyberts, Ruysch's collection contains odd assemblages of primarily human anatomical specimens, some of which he composed with the help of his daughter, the painter, Rachel Ruysch. In addition to the curiosities that he contributed to the science of anatomy, Ruysch also advanced techniques in dissection and embalming.

Publisher

Digitized by the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Date

1721

Language

lat
dut

Type

StillImage

Identifier

Af_37_v1.pam5.tab1

Original Format

1 print : engraving

Physical Dimensions

36 x 32 cm

Citation

Huyberts, Cornelis and Ruysch, Frederik, 1638-1731, “A composition of three fetal skeletons,” The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Digital Library, accessed March 28, 2024, https://cppdigitallibrary.org/items/show/1506.

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