‘La Specola’, il Museo Di Storia Naturale‘The Observatory, Museum of Natural History
http://www.msn.unifi.it/
With Italians artist-anatomists such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo being at the forefront of early modern anatomy, I knew that I would have no lack of beautiful things to see, but I had no sense of how beautiful it would really be. From the pieces and their presentation to the beauty of the buildings themselves, artistic representation seemed a mechanism through which and in which to practice the science of anatomy. This is amplified in the few, but poignant, portrayals of women. The artistic representation of feminine sensuality is especially clear the Lorraine Collection of wax figures at ‘La Specola’ in Florence, one of the largest collections of 18th century anatomical waxes. In below pictures, you can see the presentation of the women with pearl necklaces, flowing hair, and delicate features. Interestingly, the recumbent female figures have their legs crossed as if to be modest, while the male ones do not. Furthermore, the fragile wooden cases and silk drapes show the care for aesthetic appearance that originally went into the presentation of the collection to the public.
This was perhaps my favorite place I visited, not simply for aesthetic appeal, but also for it’s rich history. The Museum of Natural History, previously known as The Imperial Royal Museum for Physics and Natural History, and now widely known as il museo “La Specola” is a part of the University of Florence, and it’s building also houses the university’s physics and natural science departments. The source of its name, which means ‘observatory’ is the 1780 addition of an ‘Osservatorio Astronomico’, an observatory, to the museum. That said, the observatory is only small part of the history of the space and what goes on inside it. Historically, it was unique in that it was the first of its kind of open its door to the general public in 1775. There were separate visiting times for the lower class than for the “intelligent and well educated people” but it was instrumental in the Medici family’s goal is promoting the sciences as well as the arts for the public. During my visit, I couldn’t help but think about how the museum, established by the Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Lorraine, might have economic benefits. In promoting the sciences, the cities education would improve which could potentially lead to more prosperity. Indeed, as we would expect the museum exists because of the work of wealthy families and academics. The buildings were bought by the grand Duke of Tuscany of one of Florence’s main roads, Via Romana. In addition, the museum is connected to one of the most famous sties in Florence, the Piti Palace.
My interest in visiting the museum was primarily based on a wax figure collection that is kept on the second floor. It spills out of a rich zoological exhibit. After walking through room after room of taxidermy worms, felines, monkeys, and birds, you arrive at the wax figure collection. In the background of the picture below you can see a taxidermy shark and the front, a recumbent figure made by a wax modeller student in 1830.
There are 514 pieces on display, most with an accompanying framed drawing explaining what is seen in the figure. The collection attract experts in the field of anatomy as well as visitors attracted by their artistic quality. Through this collection, it is possible to feel as though the science of anatomy is a form of artistic expression. However, it would also seem that the artistry functions as a means to a scientific end. Not only does it require incredible artistic skill to depicts veins, muscles, and bones in such detail to serve is educational purposes, but there is also a certain amount of scientific creativity involved. I am reminded of the Vesalius illustrations we looked at from the Fabrica in the sophomore tutorial. In these, we saw anatomical figures in action with lush backgrounds displaying the anatomical function of the figures. In many of the wax figures of La Specola, the bodies are made to seem like they are living, which may have been a tool to help medical students associate the model with live human beings. That said, it does seem a little bit discordant that these figures were used as an alternative to dissection of dead corpses and yet created with lifelike features.
The importance of knowing through picturing seems to have a special significance in the last room of the exhibit, the gynecological room. While female figures were spattered throughout the exhibit, female reproductive organs were limited to this room, separate from the others. The room has both male and female reproductive organs, but also detailed reproductions of women carrying babies and the growth of the fetus. Labeling these figures as anatomical representations seems to dissociate the body for the experience of carrying and birthing a child for the biological processes. While knowing how the body works through a figure of the arterial or nervous system is intuitive, understanding child birth and gestation through still wax figures seems more out of place to me. The female body is depicted more as a vessel than as an actor and it makes me wonder how this might reflect the way the medical system approached pregnancy.
A similar, but much smaller, portion of an exhibit the Galileo Museum, right across the bridge from 'La Specola' has wax figures of various complications in birth, seen below. It would seem that figures are geared more towards the practice of delivering the child, rather than simply the components that make up the child. In both cases, the pealing back of the skin to reveal inner organs seems perverse and grotesque.
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