The startling accuracy of Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings will be highlighted by a new exhibition that compares the artist's work with modern medical scans. Long praised as one of the finest artists of the Renaissance era and a visionary inventor, da Vinci's work as an anatomist was also well ahead of its time. The forthcoming show will pitch his studies of the human body against today's high tech medical imaging technologies to show just how groundbreaking his investigations of the human body were. Remarkable accuracy: A forthcoming exhibition will compare Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings with the latest modern medical scans and models to show just how true to life the artist's work was . Thirty sheets of the artist's work kept by the Royal Collection Trust are set for display at the Edinburgh International Festival in August to show just how far-sighted da Vinci’s work was. Da Vinci first began researching the human body to help him keep his paintings as 'true to nature' as possible, but the project soon took on a life of its own and he had ambitions to write an illustrated treatise on anatomy. In the course of his investigations he dissected more than 30 corpses in hospitals and medical schools, filling hundreds of pages of his notebooks with detailed sketches. Many of them date from the winter of 1510-11, when he dissected some 20 corpses at the medical school of the University of Pavia in collaboration with professor of anatomy Marcantonio della Torre. Incredibly detailed: The full image of da . Vinci's sketches bones, muscles and tendons of the hand demonstrates the . layered structure of the hand through four dissections . On the 18 sheets of what is now known as Leonardo’s Anatomical Manuscript A, the artist crammed more than 240 individual drawings and notes running to more than 13,000 words in his distinctive mirror-writing. The work, which has never before been shown in its entirety in the UK, covers almost every bone in the body and many major muscle groups. Comparison with modern day medical scans will show how, despite his limited knowledge of medicine and the limited technology to hand, Da Vinci's work was nevertheless incredibly accurate. The artist's insights could have revolutionised European knowledge of anatomy. However, on his death in 1519 they remained among his personal papers and did not see the light of day for hundreds of years. A spokesman for the Royal Collection Trust said: 'Had they been published at the time, they would undoubtedly have been the most influential work on the human body ever produced.' The muscles of the shoulder, arm and neck, c.1510-11: Many of the sketches date from the winter of 1510-11, when he dissected some 20 corpses at the medical school of the University of Pavia . The muscles of the shoulder, arm and the bones of the foot, c.1510-11: A 3D film of a dissected shoulder will show the incredible accuracy of the many drawings of the bones, muscles, nerves and tendons of the joint . A still from the 3D animation of the chest, shoulder and arm that will be shown alongside the sketches . Much of the work anticipates 21st-century medical thinking, using the same sequences of images now used to train medics. In one sheet, da Vinci demonstrates the layered structure of the hand through four dissections. He begins with the bones, adds the deep muscles of the palm, and then applies the first and second layers of tendons. Displayed alongside the work will be an animated computer simulation that replicates the artist’s layering technique and a film of a dissected hand in high-definition 3D will also allow exhibition visitors to appreciate the subtlety of the intricate structure . Ahead of his time: Thirty sheets of the artist's work kept by the Royal Collection Trust are set for display at the Edinburgh International Festival in August to show just how far-sighted da Vinci’s work was . He also recorded the muscles of the shoulder and arm in eight different views, rotating the body through 180 degrees. These drawings will be juxtaposed with a modern animation capturing the same sequence. Similarly, a 3D film of a dissected shoulder will demonstrate the incredible accuracy of da Vinci’s many drawings of the bones, muscles, nerves and tendons of the shoulder joint, seen from every angle and in every position. 'This area of the body has a complex range of motion, and Leonardo’s attempts to capture it in two-dimensional drawings are shown to be centuries ahead of his time,' the spokesman said. Other exhibition highlights include the first accurate depiction of the spine in history (1510); Leonardo’s notes from his post-mortem dissection of a 100-year-old man (conducted c.1508), in which he gives the first accurate descriptions of cirrhosis of the liver and narrowing of the arteries in the history of medicine; and the iconic and beautiful study of a child in the womb (c.1511), displayed alongside a 3D ultrasound scan of a foetus. The skeleton, c.1510-11: Da Vinci's insights could have revolutionised knowledge of anatomy. However, on his death in 1519 they remained among his personal papers and did not emerge for hundreds of years . The cardiovascular system and principal organs of a woman, c.1509-10: The exhibition is at The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, 2 August - 10 November 2013 . Exhibition curator Martin Clayton, said, ‘Royal Collection Trust’s association with the Edinburgh International Festival, in a year when its programme focuses on the theme of technology, has prompted us to examine the modern relevance of Leonardo’s astonishing drawings. 'For the first time we will be displaying the artist’s works alongside stunning examples of medical imaging, showing how the concerns and methods of the world’s leading anatomists have changed little in 500 years, and how truly ground breaking Leonardo’s investigations were.’ Director of the Royal Collection, Jonathan Marsden, said, ‘Since the opening of The Queen’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 2002, our exhibition programmes have become an established part of Edinburgh’s artistic life. This new partnership with Edinburgh International Festival is the obvious next step. 'We are delighted to be taking part and hope it will provide us with a further opportunity to attract the attention of anyone who may not have visited The Queen’s Gallery before.' The exhibition Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man is at The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, 2 August – 10 November 2013, and is part of the Edinburgh International Festival.
New exhibition will pit the artist's work against the latest MRI and other imaging technologies to show how accurate his insights were .
Da Vinci began his work on anatomy to inform his paintings, but soon developed ambitions to write his own treatise on the body .
Sheets of his anatomical drawings set for display this August at The Queen's Gallery at the Palace of Holyrood .
The startling accuracy of Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings will be highlighted by a new exhibition that compares the artist's work with modern medical scans. Long praised as one of the finest artists of the Renaissance era and a visionary inventor, da Vinci's work as an anatomist was also well ahead of its time. The forthcoming show will pitch his studies of the human body against today's high tech medical imaging technologies to show just how groundbreaking his investigations of the human body were. Remarkable accuracy: A forthcoming exhibition will compare Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings with the latest modern medical scans and models to show just how true to life the artist's work was . Thirty sheets of the artist's work kept by the Royal Collection Trust are set for display at the Edinburgh International Festival in August to show just how far-sighted da Vinci’s work was. Da Vinci first began researching the human body to help him keep his paintings as 'true to nature' as possible, but the project soon took on a life of its own and he had ambitions to write an illustrated treatise on anatomy. In the course of his investigations he dissected more than 30 corpses in hospitals and medical schools, filling hundreds of pages of his notebooks with detailed sketches. Many of them date from the winter of 1510-11, when he dissected some 20 corpses at the medical school of the University of Pavia in collaboration with professor of anatomy Marcantonio della Torre. Incredibly detailed: The full image of da . Vinci's sketches bones, muscles and tendons of the hand demonstrates the . layered structure of the hand through four dissections . On the 18 sheets of what is now known as Leonardo’s Anatomical Manuscript A, the artist crammed more than 240 individual drawings and notes running to more than 13,000 words in his distinctive mirror-writing. The work, which has never before been shown in its entirety in the UK, covers almost every bone in the body and many major muscle groups. Comparison with modern day medical scans will show how, despite his limited knowledge of medicine and the limited technology to hand, Da Vinci's work was nevertheless incredibly accurate. The artist's insights could have revolutionised European knowledge of anatomy. However, on his death in 1519 they remained among his personal papers and did not see the light of day for hundreds of years. A spokesman for the Royal Collection Trust said: 'Had they been published at the time, they would undoubtedly have been the most influential work on the human body ever produced.' The muscles of the shoulder, arm and neck, c.1510-11: Many of the sketches date from the winter of 1510-11, when he dissected some 20 corpses at the medical school of the University of Pavia . The muscles of the shoulder, arm and the bones of the foot, c.1510-11: A 3D film of a dissected shoulder will show the incredible accuracy of the many drawings of the bones, muscles, nerves and tendons of the joint . A still from the 3D animation of the chest, shoulder and arm that will be shown alongside the sketches . Much of the work anticipates 21st-century medical thinking, using the same sequences of images now used to train medics. In one sheet, da Vinci demonstrates the layered structure of the hand through four dissections. He begins with the bones, adds the deep muscles of the palm, and then applies the first and second layers of tendons. Displayed alongside the work will be an animated computer simulation that replicates the artist’s layering technique and a film of a dissected hand in high-definition 3D will also allow exhibition visitors to appreciate the subtlety of the intricate structure . Ahead of his time: Thirty sheets of the artist's work kept by the Royal Collection Trust are set for display at the Edinburgh International Festival in August to show just how far-sighted da Vinci’s work was . He also recorded the muscles of the shoulder and arm in eight different views, rotating the body through 180 degrees. These drawings will be juxtaposed with a modern animation capturing the same sequence. Similarly, a 3D film of a dissected shoulder will demonstrate the incredible accuracy of da Vinci’s many drawings of the bones, muscles, nerves and tendons of the shoulder joint, seen from every angle and in every position. 'This area of the body has a complex range of motion, and Leonardo’s attempts to capture it in two-dimensional drawings are shown to be centuries ahead of his time,' the spokesman said. Other exhibition highlights include the first accurate depiction of the spine in history (1510); Leonardo’s notes from his post-mortem dissection of a 100-year-old man (conducted c.1508), in which he gives the first accurate descriptions of cirrhosis of the liver and narrowing of the arteries in the history of medicine; and the iconic and beautiful study of a child in the womb (c.1511), displayed alongside a 3D ultrasound scan of a foetus. The skeleton, c.1510-11: Da Vinci's insights could have revolutionised knowledge of anatomy. However, on his death in 1519 they remained among his personal papers and did not emerge for hundreds of years . The cardiovascular system and principal organs of a woman, c.1509-10: The exhibition is at The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, 2 August - 10 November 2013 . Exhibition curator Martin Clayton, said, ‘Royal Collection Trust’s association with the Edinburgh International Festival, in a year when its programme focuses on the theme of technology, has prompted us to examine the modern relevance of Leonardo’s astonishing drawings. 'For the first time we will be displaying the artist’s works alongside stunning examples of medical imaging, showing how the concerns and methods of the world’s leading anatomists have changed little in 500 years, and how truly ground breaking Leonardo’s investigations were.’ Director of the Royal Collection, Jonathan Marsden, said, ‘Since the opening of The Queen’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 2002, our exhibition programmes have become an established part of Edinburgh’s artistic life. This new partnership with Edinburgh International Festival is the obvious next step. 'We are delighted to be taking part and hope it will provide us with a further opportunity to attract the attention of anyone who may not have visited The Queen’s Gallery before.' The exhibition Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man is at The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, 2 August – 10 November 2013, and is part of the Edinburgh International Festival.
exhibition that compares the artist's work with imaging technologies to show just how anatomical drawings with the latest modern are set for display at the Edinburgh and he had ambitions to write an illustrated treatise on anatomy. In the course of his work on the human body ever produced.' The exhibition is at The Queen's Gallery, Palace of the opening of The Queen’s Gallery at the Palace