Luigi Cattaneo Anatomical Wax Model Museum

Museo delle Cere Anatomiche Luigi Cattaneo

This building of Bologna University is home to The Luigi Cattaneo Anatomical Wax Museum.

On display in this corridor is the Luigi Calori collection of 2,000 human skulls, organised and catalogued according to specific themes such as Suicide victims, Handicapped, African and even Ancient Romans.

Luigi Calori graduated in 1829. He was nominated head of the Human Anatomy department of Bologna University in 1831. As a consequence he set new standards in the fields of anatomy, teratology, comparative anatomy and anthropology. Furthermore, there is now a huge collection of didactics which modern students currently use today.

There’s a collection of 19th century anatomical wax models by Ercole Lelli, Giovanni Manzolini, Anna Morandi, the Florentine modeller Clemente Susini and by other Bolognese wax modellers, the most important of whom are Giuseppe Astorri and Cesare Bettini.

Also included here are giant bones from Eygpt, deformed heads and bodies, the consequences of various diseases on the skin and quite a few examples of Siamese twins. In another room are models illustrating the results of diseases, infections and deformations on organs.

The museum was opened in the 1970s by Luigi Cattaneo, professor of Anatomy and curator of Science and Art.

Various specimens in malformations, teratology and alterations in shape caused by illnesses are displayed alongside the wax specimens, extremely useful as teaching aids, together with prints of the original drawings, thus illustrating the modus operandi of the anatomists of that period.

Source