The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Skeleton
early 1540s
(Italian, c. 1510–1561)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Claude Cassirer 1964.380
Location: Not on view
Description
Michelangelo was among the first artists in Europe to attend a human dissection and to adopt anatomical knowledge as a necessity for depicting the human figure. These drawings of anatomically accurate skeletons by Battista Franco reflect the increased—and slightly macabre—interest in the interior workings of the human body inspired in part by Michelangelo’s example.- Sir Thomas Lawrence, London (Lugt 2445, lower left, blind stamped). Samuel Woodburn, London (Lugt 2584, not stamped); [his sale Christie's, London, 4-8 June 1860] (according to departmental cataloguing sheet). Boguslaw Jolles, Dresden and Vienna (Lugt 381a, lower left, in blue ink); [sale Munich, 28-31 October 1895] (according to departmental cataloguing sheet). Prof. Otto Neubauer, Munich and London (according to departmental card). Mr. and Mrs. Claude Cassirer, Cleveland.
- Richards, Louise S. “Drawings by Battista Franco.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 52, no. 8 (October 1965): 106–112. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 107-110, figs. 1-3 www.jstor.orgKornell, Monique. “Anatomical Drawings by Battista Franco.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 76, no. 9 (November 1989): 302–325. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 302-306, figs. 1-3 www.jstor.org
- Master/Apprentice: Imitation and Inspiration in the Renaissance. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 13, 2019-February 23, 2020).Science within Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 13-April 20, 1980).Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965).
- {{cite web|title=Skeleton|url=false|author=Battista Franco|year=early 1540s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.380