Antique Foot Skeletal Anatomical Teaching Model c.1810
ABOUT
This is an original Victorian era scientific teaching model of a right foot. Each section of the foot is labeled and named in Latin such as "Cuboid", "Metatarsus" and "Proximal Phalanx". The material is very light and possibly paper machete. This unique piece retains its original finish and the Latin labels are very clear. The condition is good with minimal wear consistent with age and use. There are two breaks on the 2nd and 3rd bones that may be intentional to demonstrate a real break to a human foot bone.
- CREATOR Unknown.
- DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1810
- MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Possibly Paper Machete.
- CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use.
- DIMENSIONS H 2.5 in. W 10.5 in. D 3.25 in.
HISTORY
Wax anatomical models were originally used for its resemblance to human flesh and remained favored in the eighteenth century for its malleability. Apart from some popular museums, such as Tussaud’s, wax models are no longer used and this is most particularly the case for wax anatomical models which used to be the pride of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century natural history cabinets and medical museums. While in the nineteenth century wood, paper machete, and plaster were among the most current materials used for artificial anatomies.
