Accession No
5804
Brief Description
anatomical model of the human brain (section), late 19th Century or early 20th Century
Origin
Maker
Frič, Václav
Class
physiology; demonstration
Earliest Date
1875
Latest Date
1875
Inscription Date
Material
plaster
Dimensions
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased Andrè Saupe, Gregor-Medel-Str 38, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany, on or before 31/10/2000.
Inscription
(Sticker)
"Naturalien-Hand/V. Frič/in Prag 1544-I"
Description Notes
Plaster anatomical model of the human brain (section) late 19th century / early 20th century.
The edge of the model has a fragment of paper label that can be read "Naturalien-Hand/V. Frič/in Prag 1544-I". The full label would read "Naturalien-Handlung/V. Frič/inPrag 1544-II" as Frič's other products bear.
References
Events
Description
Confronted with a shortage of human remains for performing dissections, nineteenth-century model makers began to produce life-like examples of anatomy that would support medical teaching. While anatomical models did not completely displace the value of observation through dissection, they were important objects for familiarizing and visualizing internal human anatomy. Plaster models, like this example, were less expensive than those produced by the famous French model-maker Louis Thomas Jérôme Auzoux (1797–1880). Throughout the nineteenth century, model makers experimented with different materials, including early forms of plastics.
The sticker on the edge of this plaster model reveals that this could be one of the many products supplied by the Czech naturalist Václav Frič (1839-1916), who opened his shop "Frič's Museum of Natural History" (Fričovo museum přírodnin) in 1862 and his service spread across museums and teaching institutions across Europe.
18/02/2014
Created by: Allison Ksiazkiewicz on 18/02/2014
FM:46209
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