Opened in 1854 and enriched until 1926 mainly through the efforts of anatomical directors Paolo Gaddi and Giuseppe Sperino, the museum houses about eleven hundred pieces displayed according to the criteria of Descriptive Anatomy, that is, for the documentary purpose of the different human systems. Among the natural preparations, unique are the collection of fetal skeletons in an upright position fixed in various postures (49 specimens from the second to the eighth month of growth) and three female mummies made in the nineteenth century. Also remarkable are two collections of skulls: the ethnographic-anthropological collection of Gaddi and the interesting group of skulls classified according to the theory of Lombroso, the founder of criminal anthropology. Of particular note are also the anatomical waxes made in the second half of the 19th century by wax modeler Remigio Lei, employed at the University of Modena as a modeler of the Institute of Anatomy, and the eighteenth-century painted terracottas, almost all life-sized, depicting the different stages of pregnancy and childbirth, the work of Bolognese Giovan Battista Manfredini under the guidance of anatomist Francesco Febbrari. The museum originated from an initial core formed under the reign of Francesco III d’Este, corresponding to the current ground floor, including the loggia, the Anatomical Theater, and some adjacent rooms. The Theater was inaugurated in 1775 thanks to the commitment of the famous anatomist Antonio Scarpa, professor of Anatomy at the Modena University. The Theater’s design was drafted by Scarpa himself, inspired by the Anatomical Theater of the University of Padua, the oldest in Italy. In this initial phase, the museum was not yet included, although some pieces preserved there date back to that period; for example, it is known that Scarpa had invited the wax modeler Giovan Battista Manfredini to Modena, who had previously made about fifty obstetric subject models in terracotta, to create several preparations now lost. Since its inauguration, the museum’s layout, with its four interconnected rooms, display cases, and cabinets typical of the 19th-century setup, has remained unchanged: this explains the exhibition of animal-related preparations in the display cases of the third room, due to the fact that for a long time comparative anatomy was an integral part of anatomical research in general.
Information about the Museum of Anatomy of Modena
Via Berengario, 14,
41121 Modena (Modena)
0592057131
rita.maramaldo@unimore.it
https://www.museianatomici.unimore.it
Source: MIBACT
