Italian, Florence, circa 1800

in glass domed case, this life size head of a man, made of beeswax shows the head with one side flayed, showing the bone structure on one side and the muscle structure on the other

Minor discolouration to the wax. Overall condition good with minor losses. wooden base split
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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The earliest documented anatomical sculpture of the human body was a red wax flayed man by the Florentine mannerist sculptor, Lodovico Cardi "Il Cigoli". (1559 – 1613, wax, Bargello National Museum).  He was responsible for the development of the discipline of artistic anatomy. Il Cigoli attended dissections at the S. Maria Nuova Hospital in Florence to inform his art.

The first wax model in a variety of colours depicting human anatomy was a wax head modelled a century later by the Sicilian abbot Gaetano Zumbo (1656-1701), who studied anatomy in Bologna (Museo della Specola, Florence). 

The 18^th century saw an increase in the production and use of anatomical waxes as a means to train doctors, surgeons and midwives. Bologna became the artistic centre for anatomical waxes at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The Bolognese artists, like Ercole Lelli (1702-1766) and Giovanni Manzolini, (1700-1755) and his wife Anna Morandi (1716-1774) often produced their models around human skulls.   Their work inspired the Florentine sculptors at the Museo della Specola.

The Florentine school of anatomical wax modellers was driven by the efforts of the surgeon Giuseppe Galletti, professor of obstetrics in the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova in Florence. Galletti travelled to Bologna to view the waxes of Lelli and of the Manzolinis and resolved to form a collection of wax models in Florence.  Galletti hired the modeler Giuseppe Ferrini. Ferrini also worked for Felice Fontana, the founder of the famous wax anatomical modelling workshop at La Specola, as did Clemente Susini.

RELATED LITERATURE
M. Poggesi, "The Anatomical Waxes of "La Specola," in La Specola: Anatomie in Wachs in Kontrast zu Bildern der modernen Medizin, P. Friess and S. Witzgall eds., (Bonn, 2000) p.12-21; M. Von During, M. Poggesi, G. Didi-Huberman, Encyclopaedia Anatomica: Museo La Specola Florence (Köln, 2004)