The Horse: A Mirror of Man

Gallery: Studying Form

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Woodcut anatomical illustration of a man standing and facing left with right arm uplifted, showing exposed musculature, with ruined stonework in the background.

Woodcut human figure outline arms outstretched showing the branching pattern of the circulatory system.

Copperplate engraved illustration of the nervous system of a flayed horse

Copperplate engraving of a horse with letters and numbers referencing anatomical features.

Copperplate engraving of a horse’s proportions, showing three views: facing forward, facing left, facing away, with caption, “Proporzione del corpo del cavallo”.

Copperplate engraved illustration of a horse’s proportions, showing three horses: on the far left the horse is shown from the rear, in the center the horse is facing right, on the far right the horse is shown from the front, with caption, “Direzioni de’ membri del cavallo”

Woodcut illustration of a dissected horse on its back exposing muscles, arteries, and internal organs, with four horseshoes.

Open book showing a woodcut of a horse skeleton parts of the body labeled with numbers indexed to text on the facing page.

Copperplate engraving of horse’s skull with cross section showing sinuses and treatment for glanders demonstrating injection of fluid into the horse’s sinus cavity just below its left eye.

Woodcut anatomical illustration of a horse viewed from the front showing exposed musculature in a landscape with stars.

Woodcut anatomical illustration of a horse viewed from behind showing exposed musculature in a landscape with stars.

Woodcut of the muscles and bones of a horse’s head, from the front.

Woodcut of a horse’s hindquarters with muscles and arteries exposed

Woodcut of the dissection of a horse on its back with two human hands pulling open the abdominal cavity showing internal organs.

Woodcut of the dissection of a female horse on its back with open abdominal cavity showing internal organs, especially the intestines and a placenta.

Woodcut of two horse skulls, both facing forward with the brain of the horse on the right exposed, both horses bridled together decoratively.

Woodcut of two horse skulls, one facing left with jawbone attached the other facing right without jawbone.

Woodcut of three sets of horse neck vertebrae, tied together decoratively with tasseled cords as though hanging.

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“Horse Muscle Figure” from Anatomia del cauallo, infermità, et suoi rimedii by Carlo Ruini, 1618

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About the Book

Title page in Italian in red and black ink and large woodcut printer’s device.

Anatomia del Cauallo, Infermità, et Suoi Rimedii by Carlo Ruini, 1618

This work was a milestone in veterinary publishing, not least for its amazingly well drafted woodcut images of equine anatomy which were clearly influenced by human anatomical works published in the decades before. The work was published over and over again, and its images and text were often plagiarized, including the many errors to be found in the first edition.

Go To NLM Catalog Record