In this superb guidebook, a master of figure drawing shows readers in precise detail how to render human anatomy convincingly. Over 460 illustrations reveal the structure of the body by presenting careful, knowledgeable articulation of the muscles and bones lying beneath the skin.

Compelling and alluring, this disquieting volume presents a host of deftly crafted dissectable female wax models and "slashed beauties" created to demonstrate anatomy in museums and fairgrounds around the world in the 18th and 19th centuries. Incisive commentary reveals the evolution of these enigmatic and sensual sculptures from the death masks, wax effigies and votive offerings of the Renaissance, and later to artist's muse, erotic fetish and the...