Ivory and horn artificial eye in leather covered wooden box, Italian, 1601-1700

This model of the eye is made from horn, ivory, wood and glass. The glass is used to show the eyeball, although no iris is present. The model can also be dismantled to show the optic nerve at the back of the eye.

Anatomical models were important teaching aids, especially because of the shortage of bodies available for dissection. They could also be used to highlight specific parts of the body, often by making them larger than life-size.