Notomie di Titiano (Chosen by Rachel Connor, MA student, University of Otago)

1670

Health Sciences Historical Collection WZ405 BS23

Bologna

‘This is a book of engravings of remarkably lively dead people. The skeletons and musclemen have an unnerving, rangy energy that stays in the mind long after you put the book away. Early in the book, a skeleton leans on a tomb, crossing his ankles and contemplates a skull. Male figures displaying layers of musculature stride across miniature landscapes like Gargantua.
The strong, energised, naturalistic poses of the men figured in the drawings have come from cadavers. There is a compelling and disturbing juxtaposition of gross detail and energy, even in the way the skeleton crosses its legs. The most disturbing image within is the engraving of the body of a man suspended from the gallows. It’s a gruesome and fascinating book.’