Anatomische studie van de teelbal 1685

Pieter van Gunst made this anatomical study of the testicle with pen and gray ink in the Netherlands, sometime between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. At the time it was made, the Dutch Republic was a hub of scientific inquiry. The rise of the university and the printing press created a flourishing market for anatomical illustration, which was used as a tool for medical training. But it was also collected by a broader public interested in expanding their knowledge of the natural world. This drawing reveals how images were critical to the project of science. Visual codes of observation were used to establish and disseminate knowledge about the body. Such images were made possible by institutions that sanctioned the dissection of human bodies – a practice that was fraught with social and ethical complexities. As historians of science, we can examine the power dynamics involved in the production and circulation of anatomical knowledge. By studying archival sources, we can reveal the complex relationship between art, science, and society in the early modern world.