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Ivory anatomical mannequin of a pregnant woman

Image not available

Description
Carved ivory model of a pregnant woman with an outer belly panel and internal organs which remove to reveal a small ivory fetus. The left arm articulates from a resting position on the belly to one lying across the head of the woman to facilitate the removal of the belly panel and organ pieces. The model is 16 cm long and the head rests on an intricately carved lace pillow 3 cm long for a total length of 19 cm. It is housed in a wooden box with blue velvet lining. It has been commonly thought that the box represented a coffin and a reflection that physicians of the time could only explore the internal anatomy of a pregnant woman if she had died.
Type
Rare Books(Opens in new tab)
Production date
17th century?
Call number
653419
Provenance
Gift of the Bodman estate, November, 1972?
Restrictions
RESTRICTED. Fragile. Cannot be paged, imaged or reproduced without conservator review. Use of original may require special handling instructions and extended retrieval and delivery time. Use nitrile gloves for handling.
Dimensions
19 cm in box 22 x 9 cm
Associated people
Bodman, Edward W., (1879-1956,)
Find out more
View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

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