BSHM Poynter Lecture 26 March 2008
"Leonardo's Philosophical Anatomies"
Wellcome Collection, Euston Road, London

Lecture and lecturer

Those attending also saw the exhibitions of the Wellcome Collection.

There was a talk to BSHM members by William Schupbach, the Iconographic Collections Librarian, to look at some of the Library's print and drawings on anatomy.

Information about the lecture from Professor Kemp:
We talk of Leonardo's "anatomical drawings" and tend to align them in intent with later descriptive anatomy. However, Leonardo's representations of of the body involved function as much as form and were integral to his vision of the microcosm and macrocosm. There is no indication that he was concerned with the application of his knowledge to surgery and little indication of any involvement with "physic". Instead he is concerned to to understand the nature of the fundamental processes of the human body and to present his understanding through visual demonstrations of a wholly novel kind.

For more information on Martin Kemp's present academic work see his pages from The Faculty of History, University of Oxford, and from the Department of the History of Art.

BSHM afternoon at the Wellcome and the 13th Poynter Lecture

Report by Dr Tina Matthews

The Officers and Representatives committee meeting started the afternoon with some consideration of the format of the future BSHM congresses and reports from its officers. Following this the committee and other society members congregated in the Wellcome where William Schupbach had prepared a dazzling display of anatomical artwork to complement the theme of the Poynter Lecture. These were carefully set on four tables each representing a different century , and thus also different approaches, needs and techniques. Schupbach described discussed and mused on the various work, interjecting salacious titbits regarding the artist or social circumstances.

The audience then had the awe-inspiring opportunity to circulate and closely inspect the pieces. The BSHM would like to thank William Schupbach for the absorbing presentation and the Wellcome for permitting the rare opportunity to view the items from the collection.

We then moved on to a small reception, and the lecture given by Martin Kemp, Professor of the History of Art at Oxford University (www.martinjkemp.co.uk) entitled "Leonardo's Philosophical Anatomies". Prof. Kemp suggested that it is necessary to adopt a different mindset to appreciate the anatomies to envisage the human body as a microcosm and its design as would an architect. Leonardo's anatomies were not provided to assist medics to learn anatomy, nor necessarily for artists but to explore concepts, thoughts and philosophies of the structure and function of the human body.

Four episodes were considered: Leonardo's 1489 skull study, 1507/8 dissection of a man who claimed to be a hundred, 1510 muscles and the late heart studies. The earliest episode is thought the first diagrammatic portrayal of "cut-away" structures; in this instance the skull is shown half superficial and half with the sinuses revealed. The brain is depicted with three ventricles representing intellect, soul and functions - a pictorial demonstration of functionality not accurate anatomy. In contrast the dissection of the centenarian includes wondrously precise drawings of the tortuous calcified arteries typical of elderly persons, and then the vasculature was compared with an aqueduct system for irrigation.

The 1510 studies were of skeleton and muscles representing a synthesis of knowledge gleaned from several dissections and show a right to left progression across the page more convenient to Leonardo's left-handedness. These studies included exploded diagram depictions of the cervical spinal vertebrae, and the hand compared with a system of ropes and pulleys, another example of Leonardo's dual influence of anatomy and engineering principles. The human hand was considered the supreme instrument and ultimate perfection in God's amazing design.

The final group of works considered were of the heart valves of an ox with a study of shape transformation from one geometric shape to another; roundish to triangular, as Leonardo attempted to divine how they functioned. Amongst his many talents da Vinci was a water engineer which strongly featured in these drawings including water as hair, deluge depictions of the movements of fluids, the actions of water issuing from a square portal and an organic map of a new canal which Kemp suggested we consider as the Jackson Pollock of the canal world. Leonardo speculated and drew the vortex above the aortic valve, and did a good but not perfect job of it.

Overall Leonardo's work demonstrates an intellectual beauty, of dissections not intended for doctors but to demonstrate God's wonderful design for his own academic satisfaction - some were spot on, some very close and some incorrect but Prof. Kemp led us to a fuller understanding of Leonardo da Vinci's thought processes and reasoning as the basis for drawing, with a consideration of some of the less often seen items. For this the BSHM thanks him, and the Wellcome for the convivial reception and premises.

For more of Prof. Kemp's Leonardo studies and projects visit Universal Leonardo

Additional notes with links to relevant illustrations

These are notes by David Hawgood with links to internet articles including relevant illustrations. The drawings may not be the exact ones shown by Professor Kemp, they are either the same or else similar ones available on Internet.

With the skull Leonardo had the eye as receptor of impressions, with a visual pyramid, lines radiating from the eye. One relevant drawing is on the right. For another skull drawing see article in Answers.com

Following from dissection of the centenarian was a comparison of passage of fluids in the body and in a tree, with the cross sectional area of arteries or branches constant. Many of Leonardo's drawings are of the bodily system, arranged to show function. See for example Anatomical studies of an old man and Drawing of branches of tree keeping same cross section

Skeleton and muscle drawings often show the architecture of the body, how the parts support each other, how the muscles move the limbs. See neck drawing on the right, and drawings of the arm and shoulder. Those in a Taschen book include shoulder rotation.

Leonardo had drawings showing an ox heart and the three cusp valve with blood flow. His drawings of geometric forms such as dodecahedrons relate to the heart valve.

Leonardo proposed a glass model of the heart to show fluid flow, and this has been realised recently - see Gharib flow visualisation.

Drawings of water flow relate also to the dynamics of blood flow for example see water falling from an orifice.

Statue of Leonardo da Vinci at the Uffizi Gallery
Photo by Thermos licenced under Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5.

Study of the Skull, by Leonardo da Vinci
Illustration by Luc Viatour from Wikimedia Commons under GNU Free Documentation Licence

Anatomy of the neck, by Leonardo da Vinci
Public domain image from Wikimedia Commons