Anatomiae Universae. Icones. apud Nicolaum Capurro, Pisis, MDCCCXXIII. Stratum Tertium, Facie Aversa 
Anatomiae Universae. Icones. apud Nicolaum Capurro, Pisis, MDCCCXXIII. Stratum Tertium, Facie Adversa  
1823 - 1831 
hand-watercoloured print 

Anatomiae Universae. Icones. apud Nicolaum Capurro, Pisis, MDCCCXXIII. Stratum Primum, Tabula Specialis II 
1823 - 1831 
hand-watercoloured print 

Anatomiae Universae. Icones. apud Nicolaum Capurro, Viscera, Tabula XIII, (Prospetti dell'Utero) 
1823 - 1831
hand-watercoloured print  

Museo di Anatomia Umana “Filippo Civinini”, Università di Pisa 

Professor of anatomy first at Pisa and then in Florence, Paolo Mascagni is best known for his posthumously published anatomy treatise, Anatomiae Universae Icones, illustrated by Antonio Serantoni. The work comprises 44 plates, of which 24 can be pieced together to form eight figures of a life-size, skinned body. The originality of these illustrations, which some editions have in colour, is their separation of the anatomical structures, allowing a simultaneous view of the outer and inner layers. Their didactic use is somewhat limited, however, given that certain muscles are shown detached from their inserts, making it hard to locate their proper position. On the other hand, this work introduced a new fantastical dimension to anatomy. 
The illustration Anatomiae Universae. Icones. apud Nicolaum Capurro, Viscera, Tabula XIII, (Prospetti dell'Utero) shows a uterus during gestation. The old given name for this organ, matrix, underlines its distinguishing trait – that of being impressionable, its ability to receive and retain the imprint of a mutating form. This characteristic alone, in a sense, rendered the uterus ‘monstrous’ because it was itself a ‘mutant’ capable – as explained in Aristotle’s imaginationist theory, which survived well beyond the Renaissance – of generating an ‘alien’ creature if the mother had monstrous visions during pregnancy.