Читать книгу The Anatomical Venus - Joanna Ebenstein - Страница 45

(49) Haller, Mascagni, or another. Real human body parts would then be procured to work from, in order to ensure that all the individual parts were as accurate as possible. An Anatomical Venus was expensive and time-consuming to produce. Over two hundred cadavers were sometimes required to craft a single dissect ible figure, owing to the speed with which bodies decayed, especially in the hot weather of the summer months. The modeller would either take a cast of the prepared specimen or copy it by hand. As Susini’s anatomical models are depicted with plump, rounded organs rather than deflated or even putrefying ones, British artist and anatomi cal ceroplastician Eleanor Crook believes that they were most often sculpted by hand from observation of a dissected cadaver, rather than directly cast from one. Once a model of inexpensive wax or clay had been approved, a plaster cast would be taken to serve as a mould, which could then be used repeatedly; many such moulds are still owned by La Specola today. fig. 27 Next, the plaster moulds would be coated with soap or oil to ease release of the wax. The most commonly used waxes were beeswax; white ‘Virgin wax’ from Smyrna or Venice; or that of the Chinese scale insects Ceroplastes ceriferus and Ericerus pela, which produce a particularly fine, hard, white wax with a high melting point, well suited to modelling skin, though prohibitively expensive. The wax would be mixed with turpentine and other oils or fats to produce the required texture, as well as a mastic, or plant resin, to fortify and increase its stability, which was important for sustaining structure and retaining vivid colours. It would then be carefully heated and coloured with finely ground pig ments, often highly precious or toxic, which had been sifted through cloth and dissolved in oil or turpentine. Thin layers of tinted wax would then be painted into, cooled and released from the mould. As most of the pieces were hollow, they were stuffed with rags or woodchips for support, although some, including Susini’s Medici Venus, have metal frames. Hair was attached with varnish; eye lashes were individually implanted. Fine blood vessels and nerves were made of silk or linen fibres dipped in wax. The parts would be assembled, while attending to any flaws or damage. Finally, the model would be glazed in order to keep its surfaces free of dust and effect a realistic shine: another anatomical master work ready for display. overleaf page 50 Early-seventeenth century, life-sized wooden dissectible anatomical Eve, shown fully intact (left) and with her breastplate removed (right) to reveal viscera and the baby in her womb. page 51 The same anatomical Eve with the top of her head lifted off to reveal the painted wooden brain beneath. AV_00966_pre-pdf layout_001_215.indd 49 13/01/2016 12:38 THE BIRTH OF THE anaTOmIcal VEnUS[1]