GAMELIN, Jacques

Nouveau Recueil d'Osteologie et Myologie, dessine d'apres nature

Toulouse: J.F. Desclassan, 1779.

Two parts in one volume.

85 full-page engravings and/or lithographs; 11 half-page etchings or engravings.

Folio, 547 x 435 mm.

Contemporary blue patterned paper over boards, vellum spine.

First and only edition.

Jacques Gamelin was a well-regarded 18th century painter whose work echoes that of Salvator Rosa and anticipates Goya. He produced this book as an anatomical guide for artists rather than a scientific treatise. It is composed of two parts, separately treating skeletal and muscle anatomy. The highly romanticized illustrations depict skeletons and musclemen in a variety of dramatic and sometimes macabre poses and settings designed to show artists how to realistically portray the human body in their pictures.

Gamelin published 200 copies of the book at his own expense but it didn't sell, which was a financial disaster that left him broke. Most of the unsold copies were pulped or dismembered by the printer, and consequently, complete copies are now exceedingly rare. From Gamelin, Nouveau recueil d'osteologie et myologie, Toulouse 1779.

From Gamelin, Nouveau recueil d'osteologie et myologie, Toulouse 1779.