V Gallery

Skull anatomy by Leonardo da Vinci

Skull anatomy by Leonardo da Vinci. Historical artwork and notes on the anatomy of the human skull and teeth, by the Italian artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). This bisected skull shows the external structure (right), and dissected facial sinuses (left), the air-filled spaces inside the bones of the face. The diagram at lower left shows the teeth present in one half of the mouth: 4 incisors, 2 canines, 4 pre-molars, and 6 molars. Da Vinci was the first anatomist known to have correctly noted the number and root structure of human teeth. The notes are an example of his mirror writing, which was written backwards from right to left, and could be read in a mirror

© SHEILA TERRY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

1490 Leonardo Da Vinci colour portrait

Leonardo da Vinci, Italian artist and inventor (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519). Engraved portrait by J. Posselwhite in The Gallery of Portraits 1835 with later colouring, ascribed from the engraving by Raffaelle Morghen, (itself after the undated self portrait by Leonardo da Vinci). Da Vinci was one of the most diversely talented people to have ever lived. His contributions to science include principally; anatomy, engineering and invention. Fritjof Capra (2007) argues that Leonardo's scientific approach was more integrated and holistic than Gallileo's or Newton's - making him a more direct antecedant of modern systems and complexity theory than those scientists. Darwin reportedly kept a version of this print as a muse on his study wall at Christ's College Cambridge

© This image is Paul D. Stewart 2009. Do not reproduce without permission of the photographer at Stewartpauld@aol.com.

Man in the Iron Mask, playing the cello in prison

There are conflicting theories as to who this man was. One is that he was Count Ercole Antonio Mattioli (Matthioli or Marchioly, 1640-1703), an Italian diplomat, arrested as Eustache Dauger in 1669, imprisoned by Louis XIV for 34 years, who died in the Bastille. Another theory, according to Voltaire, is that he was the older, illegitimate brother of Louis XIV -- this later formed part of Alexandre Dumas Three Musketeers saga, in which the man is Louis twin brother

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10007281