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Book/Printed Material On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books. De humani corporis fabrica libri septem

About this Item

Title

  • On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books.

Other Title

  • De humani corporis fabrica libri septem

Summary

  • This superb copy of De humani corporis fabrica libri septem (On the fabric of the human body in seven books) by the anatomist and medical doctor Andreas Vesalius (1514-64) was printed by Johannes Oporinus of Basel in August 1555. The illuminations are attributed to Jan Stephan van Calcar (Joannes Stephanus Calcarensis, 1499-circa 1546), a Flemish-born painter who studied under Titian and worked in Italy. The volume is preserved in the Riccardiana Library in Florence. It has a rigid all-leather binding with golden impressions and a red fore edge. The frontispiece and initials are illuminated; the illustrations are water-colored xylographs (woodcuts). The flyleaf of the book carries the class mark "Capponi," indicating that it came to the Riccardiana Library of Florence in 1688 as part of the library of Vincenzo Capponi, which was inherited by his daughter Cassandra, Francesco Riccardi's wife. Andreas Vesalius was the Latinized name of Andries van Wesel, who was born in Brussels, at that time part of the Habsburg Netherlands. He studied at the universities of Louvain, Paris, and Padua and became a professor at Padua, Bologna, and Basel. First published in 1543, De humani corporis fabrica libri septem was based on Vesalius's careful dissections of human cadavers. The book contained detailed descriptions and drawings that greatly advanced the science of anatomy. The revised edition of 1555, shown here, contained many novel contributions and was far more significant than just an update. Vesalius later became imperial physician to the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He died at the age of 49 after being shipwrecked on the Greek island of Zakynthos while returning from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Names

  • Calcar, Jan Stephan van, 1499-approximately 1546 Illuminator.
  • Oporinus, Joannes, 1507-1568 Printer.
  • Vesalius, Andreas, 1514-1564 Author.

Created / Published

  • Basel, Switzerland : Joannes Oporinus, 1555-08.

Headings

  • -  Italy
  • -  1543
  • -  Anatomy
  • -  Human anatomy
  • -  Human body
  • -  Illuminations
  • -  Science, Renaissance

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 504 pages : illustrations ; 42.5 x 27.5 centimeters bound in 44.5 x 31 centimeters.
  • -  Reference extracted from World Digital Library: Fabio Zampieri, Mohamed El-Maghawry, Alberto Zanatta, and Gaetano Thiene, "Andreas Vesalius: Celebrating 500 Years of Dissecting Nature," Global Cardiology Science & Practice (2015 (5) 66). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4762440/.
  • -  Original resource at: Riccardiana Library of Florence.
  • -  Content in Latin.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667096

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Calcar, Jan Stephan Van, Approximately 1546 Illuminator, Joannes Oporinus, and Andreas Vesalius. On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books. Basel, Switzerland: Joannes Oporinus, -08, 1555. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667096/.

APA citation style:

Calcar, J. S. V., Oporinus, J. & Vesalius, A. (1555) On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books. Basel, Switzerland: Joannes Oporinus, -08. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667096/.

MLA citation style:

Calcar, Jan Stephan Van, Approximately 1546 Illuminator, Joannes Oporinus, and Andreas Vesalius. On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books. Basel, Switzerland: Joannes Oporinus, -08, 1555. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667096/>.