Wax male figure showing the muscles of the body

Wax male figure showing muscles, in case, Italian, 1776-1780

This model is a half life-size figure showing the muscles and bones of the body in a superficial dissection. Some of the muscles of the chest and limbs have been removed to reveal the underlying bone structure. The model is the second of a series of eight, which show layer after layer of tissue being removed to illustrate the different parts of the body. The life-size versions were used in the Zoological Museum of the University of Florence, known as La Specola, by the Grand Duke of Tuscany when teaching anatomy to students.

The series was probably made by the workshops of Clemente Susini (1754-1814). Susini was one of the greatest wax modellers of the age, famous for his accurate anatomical detail in both structure and colour.