Body Worlds exhibition in London was a sensation and here we discover the beauty beneath our skin. From the eccentric Museo La Specola in Florence comes this amazing collection of waxworks depicting the human anatomy in all its dazzling complexity. The 27 wax bodies and 1500 part and organ studies that make up the museum's collection are presented here; from skeletons to vein structures, organs to nerves, and arteries to the delicate pores of the skin, the human body is mapped out in meticulous and exacting detail. Texts explaining the human anatomy in laypersons' terms and exploring the historical and cultural significance of the wax figures complete this "total body experience." It's a book that gets under the skin in every sense, containing hundreds of vivid photographs of intricate anatomical waxworks, created more than two centuries ago to astounding levels of accuracy. The models were intended to advance medical understanding at a time when scientific curiosity and intellectual fervor were sweeping Europe. Housed in Florence's La Specola museum, which opened its doors in 1775 to visitors of all social classes - itself a visionary notion at the time - the specimens have served as both educational tools and objects of public fascination ever since. From detailed musculature to finely rendered organs, they serve as a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, names like Gaetano Giulio Zumbo and Clemente Susini, who achieved incredible accuracy centuries before body imaging technologies came about. Some models required as many as 200 corpses for reference and the results are quite beautiful and realistic. Text in English, French and German. 15.6 x 21.7cm, 512 pages. Colour. New from Taschen.
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