“Anatomy in a Courtly Setting. New Light on the Frontispiece of Vesalius’ Fabrica”

ZOOM LINK
This is an online talk.

Abstract: This talk identifies a puzzling figure depicted on the frontispiece of Vesalius’ De humani corporis Fabrica libri septem: the naked man clinging to a pillar high above the dissection scene. I will present pictorial, intratextual, and contextual elements that provide mutually reinforcing indications of its intended meaning. The main significance of this identification lies in offering a
glimpse into the ways Vesalius inscribed his work within the concerns of the courtly circles surrounding Charles V, the emperor to whom the work was dedicated. We will see how Vesalius’ humanist background and patronage ambitions shaped the manner in which he developed the polemical implications of his anatomical findings.

Biography: Maarten Van Dyck is professor in philosophy at Ghent University, where he is also co- director of the Sarton Centre for History of Science and Humanities. His research investigates the conceptual and epistemological changes that shaped the “scientific revolution,” with a particular focus on the mathematisation of the study of nature. He combines his work in the history of science with an active interest in the history of this discipline and its relation to developments within the history of 20th-century philosophy. He also publishes regularly on topics in philosophy of science.

For Questions Contact: Gideon Manning (gideonmanning@socalhistmed.org)