This exhibition will examine three anatomical atlases, two produced by the Dutch anatomist Govard Bidloo, and one produced by the English anatomist William Cowper. These atlases are titled Anatomia Humani Corporis (1685), Ontleding des Meschelyken Lichaams (1690), and The Anatomy of Humane Bodies (1690). This exhibition will examine these atlases in relation to their circumstances of production, their reception, and relation between each other. This exhibition will also provide a discussion on the relationship between Govard Bidloo and William Cowper and their atlases, focussing on themes of copyright, plagiarism, and competition between medical professionals.

This exhibition is part of a larger project within the AVC*6500 Directed Reading course under the supervision of Dr. Sally Hickson (SOFAM), and will act as a foundation for a portion of an upcoming thesis that looks at Anatomia Humani Corporis within broader social, religious, and scientific discourse in the Early Modern Dutch Republic.