Comments on: Invading Hands & Sleeping Beauties

By: Sophie

Sophie — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:04:14 +0000

Hi there, the article “sleeping beauties in the fairground” by Kathryn Hoffmann looks interesting. Does anyone know where to read the article for free online? thanks S

By: kop

kop — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:45:55 +0000

It’s not always pointed out but the Belle Rosina is the skeleton in Wiertz’s painting. The title is written on the label glued to the skull.

By: estetik

estetik — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:25:38 +0000

Very interesting pictures. Anatomy is the basics of medical education.

By: John C

John C — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:23:01 +0000

It’s not always pointed out but the Belle Rosina is the skeleton in Wiertz’s painting. The title is written on the label glued to the skull.

By: Pierre Carlès

Pierre Carlès — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:46:29 +0000

Fascinating post indeed. Your blog is really a treat, as usual.
About Delvaux’s interest in the gruesome and in medical anatomy: many years ago, I viewed a TV interview of Delvaux in his late days (he must have been way over 70 at the time), in which he presented his studio and the way he worked (or had worked, rather, since he was no longer painting at the time). And I remember very clearly his recollection of his first “encounter” with a skeleton. It was in school, as a 10-year old pupil, when the schoolteacher had taken the school’s skeleton out of its closet for a lesson on human anatomy. And it was funny and touching to hear the 70+ year-old Delvaux re-live the mix of fascination and unease he felt at the time he was 10, when faced with a “real” human skeleton for the first time. And how he came back home to his mother and talked about that skeleton for a week thereafter. And he clearly pinned that emotional shock as one of his most explicit sources of inspiration.
He did not say anything about his first visual shock at a nude woman, though !
So you see Jess, having been an anatomy teacher, you may have unknowingly awaken the hidden talent of one of your students. Keep the list of names for future records, just in case.

By: D

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:56:55 +0000

The anatomical model collection at the Josephinum has a room of obstetrics models that are very disturbing because of the inclusion of forceps into the model. It somehow breaks the spell and becomes much more gruesome and graphic. Great post!

By: Joanna

Joanna — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 03:27:38 +0000

What a wonderful post. I read “Sleeping Beauty in the Fairgrounds” in one gulp. I also made a pilgrimage to a museum in Brussels which claims to exhibit some of the Spitzner models–will post on it in the days to come. Great work, and lucky you that you got to see that lecture!