Antique Print-T.54.-ANATOMY-PREGNANT-WOMAN-de Lairesse-Bidloo-1728 Gerard de Lairesse Prints by Category > Medical-Anatomy

Antique print, titled: ''T.54.'' - Tab. 54: This detailed anatomical plate depicts the opened lower abdomen of a woman who was over seven months pregnant at the time of sudden death. The illustration captures the natural displacement of internal organs by the expanding uterus and offers a unique view into late-stage gestation anatomy.The abdominal coverings (A) both general and specific to the lower abdomen have been incised and folded aside to reveal the gravid uterus (B). The uterus is shown significantly enlarged and bulging toward the right side of the body, which is a common asymmetry in late pregnancy. The rounded contour (C) of the fundus pushes the intestines (D) aside, which are compressed and shifted upward by the volume of the womb.Only a portion of the cervix (E) is visible in this view, and it appears greatly extended and loosely closed, which aligns with the physical changes expected at this stage of pregnancy. Notably, the uterus is laced with thick, engorged blood vessels (F), intricately branching and merging without the intervention of valves, forming a dense vascular network. These vessels can reach the thickness of two fingers, illustrating the massive hemodynamic changes in the pregnant body. Original legend sheet available on request (if available due to legends of 2 plates being on 1 sheet).Made by Gerard de Lairesse after Govard Bidloo (author).Medium: Copperplate engraving on hand laid (verge) paper.Sheet size: 34.5 x 51 cm (13.58 x 20.08 inch). Image size: 26 x 42 cm. (10.24 x 16.54 inch).T.54.-ANATOMY-PREGNANT-WOMAN | BOEK-BIDLOOBACKGROUND INFORMATIONOntleding des Menschelyken Lichaams', Utrecht, 1728, published by Jacob van Poolsum. A later Dutch version of Govard Bidloo's most famous work, his monumental Anatomia humani corporis published in Amsterdam in 1685, containing 107 copperplate engravings. Like so many large and expensive anatomical atlases of the time, the work was not a financial success, and in 1690 he published a Dutch translation entitled, Ontleding des menschelyken lichaams, using the same plates. When this edition did not sell well either, Bidloo's publisher sold 300 of the extra printed plates to William Cowper, a noted English anatomist. Cowper published the plates with his own, English language text in Oxford in 1698 under the title, Anatomy of the humane bodies, without mentioning Bidloo or the artists of the original plates. Cowper went so far as to use Bidloo's engraved allegorical title page, amended with an irregular piece of paper lettered: "The anatomy of the humane bodies .," which fits over the Dutch title (see a comparison here). A number of vitriolic exchanges took place between Bidloo and Cowper, including several pamphlets published in each anatomist's defense. Cowper claimed, without much evidence presented, that the plates were not Bidloo's at all, but that they were commissioned by Jan Swammerdam (1637 1680) and that after his death Swammerdam's widow had sold them to Bidloo. The illustrations in Bidloos' work were drawn by Gerard de Lairesse (1640 1711) and engraved by Abraham Blooteling (1640 1690) and Peter van Gunst (1659? 1724?).Reference: Choulant, L. History and bibliography of anatomic illustration. Trans. and annotated by Mortimer Frank. (New York: Hafner, 1962). Pp. 250-253; Russell, K. F. British anatomy, 1525 1800: a bibliography of works published in Britain, America and on the Continent. 2nd ed. (Winchester, Hampshire: St. Paul's Bibliographies, 1987). Introduction and nos. 211-214; National Library of Medicine (US) Unique ID: 2312021R.Text page included (if available, due to 2 text pages printed on ene shheet, otherwise a copy).Biography engraver: Gerard de Lairesse (1640 1711) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and art theorist, known for his classical and allegorical themes.Biography artist: Govard Bidloo (1649 1713) was a Dutch physician, anatomist, and poet, renowned for his anatomical atlas and contribution to medical illustration. Conditi