"Genius lives on, all else is mortal" skeleton from 'De humani corporis fabrica libri septem'

This is one of the iconic skeletons in book 1 of the first edition of Vesalius’ De Humani Corporis Fabrica. The plinth that the skeleton is leaning on reads "Vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt", which translates to English as "Genius lives on, all else is mortal".

The paints used by the first owner, German physician Caspar Neefe to colour the illustrations would have been made from the pigments available at the time, such as lapis-lazuli, azurite, malachite, calcite, and umber.

The Fabrica is considered one of the most important medical books ever published, and changed the way that anatomy was understood and taught.