Ivory anatomical manikin of a pregnant woman.
Information About This Item
Title
Ivory anatomical manikin of a pregnant woman.
Date
18th century
Description
Ivory. Possibly from Germany.
Ivory manikins such as this one may have been used as educational tools by male doctors. It’s not clear who was the intended audience for the objects. Were they used to demonstrate basic anatomy to medical students? Or laypeople? Or were they simply luxury objects, curiosities to be kept in a doctor’s study?
Most of the ivory anatomical manikins still extant today are pregnant females. The artist of this figure even connected the fetus to the womb with a small piece of thread to represent the umbilical cord.
Most of the ivory anatomical manikins still extant today are pregnant females. The artist of this figure even connected the fetus to the womb with a small piece of thread to represent the umbilical cord.
Carved ivory model of a pregnant woman with an outer belly panel and internal organs which remove to reveal a small ivory fetus. The right arm articulates from a resting position to facilitate the removal of the belly panel and organ pieces.
Identifier
QM33 .I96 1750z