DIORAMAS123LIFELIKE OR DECORUM?We have thus far assessed that realism played a key role in the epistemo-
logical work of taxidermy, especially in dioramas. But more than realism
was at play in the most successful taxidermy of the modern age. The
emergence of realism in the practice of taxidermy was a phenomenon
largely driven by the discourses of natural history and its need for realis-
tic copies of animal bodies to be available for research and display in mu-
seums. As seen earlier in this chapter, Browne asserted that for the new
school of taxidermy to emerge, the education of the taxidermist had to in-
clude excellent knowledge of comparative anatomy, drawing, and modeling.
He thus drew a substantial parallel between artistic training and taxidermy
mounting, asking: “Would any person expect to arrive at eminence as a
sculptor if he were unacquainted with the established preliminaries of
his art, namely, drawing and anatomy? The thing is so self-evident that I am
only surprised it has not long ago been acted upon.”^53
Studying anatomy for the purpose of realistically portraying human
and animal bodies is associated with the realism of classical art. During
the Greek classical period (fifth to fourth century BCE), in which dissec-
tion was not commonly practiced, anatomical knowledge was obtained
from the observation of body surfaces. During the Renaissance and the
classical age, artists developed their knowledge of anatomy by dissecting
human and animal bodies alike. However, as noted by art historian L. J.
Freeman, artists do not “gain by this exact method [a] greater appearance
of reality, and the eye is tired by the details thrust upon it, details which
it would never see for itself, but which the sculptor represents because he
knows from his anatomy that they are there.”^54
It is well known, through Condivi, that Michelangelo Buonarroti per-
severed with the dissection of human bodies until a late age, despite the
fact that it made him ill.^55 However, this dedication to the practice of dis-
section did not necessarily translate into careful reproduction of human
anatomy. In fact, Michelangelo’s sculptural work and his frescoes in the
Sistine Chapel present substantial distortion of human form, posing
questions about the direct links between anatomical studies and realism
in art. Likewise, Leonardo da Vinci carried out numerous dissections of
human bodies, especially around 1508; however, most of the figures
he painted were heavily clothed, with only hands and faces showing.^56