Frederik Ruysch (1638–1731) stands as a towering figure in the annals of anatomy, celebrated as a Dutch anatomist, a master of embalming techniques, and a discerning museologist. While his scientific contributions are significant, Ruysch is perhaps most vividly remembered today for his strikingly unusual displays. Crafted from fetal skeletons and meticulously prepared human remains, these tableaux occupy a fascinating space where science, art, and the contemplation of mortality converge. These intriguing works, alongside an extensive array of artfully arranged specimens, were showcased in Ruysch’s personal museum and meticulously documented in his lavishly illustrated Thesaurus Anatomicus. This groundbreaking book, now accessible through its first-ever English translation, serves as a comprehensive Thesaurus Guide to his extraordinary collection, faithfully reproducing all the original illustrations and incorporating photographs of some of his most compelling surviving specimens.
Ruysch was a multifaceted genius, seamlessly blending the roles of a brilliant scientist with an exceptionally skilled technician. He was also a respected physician, a moralist deeply rooted in religious beliefs, and an artist who chose human remains as his primary medium of expression. His anatomical preparations were so exquisitely detailed and lifelike that they were once lauded as the “Rembrandts of anatomical preparation.” In contemporary eyes, they possess an almost unbelievable strangeness, yet they captivated audiences and enjoyed immense popularity in their own era. Ruysch’s unique synthesis of the religious and the scientific, the rigorously accurate and the fantastically imaginative, provides compelling evidence of a time when the boundaries between science, religion, and art were fluid and interconnected. Complementing Ruysch’s original text and images, this volume includes insightful essays that delve into various facets of his work. These essays explore the historical context surrounding Ruysch’s endeavors, the seeming paradox of an artist of death who masterfully created illusions of life, the challenges of conserving Ruysch’s delicate specimens, and the fluctuating influence of romanticism and rationality within the natural sciences throughout history.
Contributors
Stephen Asma, Philippe Comar, Eleanor Crook, Laurens de Rooy, Joanna Ebenstein, Richard Faulk, Luuc Kooijmans, Willem J. Mulder, Bert van de Roemer
