Ivory male anatomical figure, Germany, 1601-1800

Ivory anatomical figure, male, with some removable internal organs, lying on a couch, possibly German, 17th-18th century

Lying on an ornate ebony couch is a posed male anatomical figure carved from ivory. Underneath the torso the intestines, heart and lungs can be seen.

Popular in the 1600s and 1700s, ivory anatomical figures normally came in male and female pairs; female examples were almost always shown as pregnant. The organs are not very detailed so it is unlikely that the model was made for medical teaching. The figures were possibly used to teach young couples about anatomy and pregnancy or it may have been a collector’s item.