De Humani corporis

The masterpiece The humani corporis fabrica by the surgeon Andreas Vesalius of Leuven (1514-1564) is world-famous. Not only were the dissections similar to corpses, but also the illustrations, including the artistically executed 'muscle men' in idealistic landscapes, were revolutionary. This copy was once owned by the Antwerp physician of Portuguese descent Lazarus Marcquis (1574-1647), who donated it to the library of the city of Antwerp on 8 January 1609. It is still there more than 400 years later.