ATTRIBUTED TO GAETANO ZUMBO (1656-1701), LATE 17TH CENTURY

Very little is known of Gaetano Zumbo (Siracuse 1656-Paris 1701), besides the fact that he was an extremely talented wax modeller of the XVII century, sometimes called the 'Michelangelo of Wax'. His fascination with the anatomy of the body was a key factor in his production througout his life: his subjects were indeed inspired by death, diseases and putrification of the bodies. He conducted his studies at the Gesuits and became an abbot. He also very likely pursued studies of anatomy in Bologna. After that he was in Florence at the Court of Cosimo III de Medici from 1691 to 1695. He susequently moved to France where his quick fame as wax 'Anatomist' made him a favourite at the court of Louis XVI. On 25 May 1701 he was invited to exhibit his 'Anatomical Head' at the all'Académie Royale des Sciences, which is nowadays still on view at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.