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Anatomical Venus

1780-85
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
An interest in human anatomy during the eighteenth century led to the production of female wax cadavers known as "anatomical Venuses." These hyperreal sculptures—with glistening skin, languid poses, and flowing hair—were designed for disassembly and exploration of the feminine interior and sex organs. Critics dismissed anatomical sculptures as peepshow science, though one Florentine practitioner, Clemente Susini, earned a sterling reputation for his superior wax modeling. This figure was produced in the workshop where Susini practiced, and it bears resemblance to his works that sit halfway between life and death, artwork and artifact, and science and erotica.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Anatomical Venus
  • Artist: Fontana Workshop (Italian, 1754–1805)
  • Date: 1780-85
  • Culture: Italian
  • Medium: Wood skeleton, transparent wax, variously colored waxes with pigments, hair, venetian glass, and rosewood
  • Dimensions: Overall in case: 36 13/16 × 68 1/2 × 29 3/4 in., 176.4 lb. (93.5 × 174 × 75.5 cm, 80 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Semmelweis Orvostörténeti Múzeum, Budapest
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art