Anatomy Meets Art: Da Vinci's Drawings

Woman's Body

Leonardo da Vinci drawing of a woman's organs.

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

Leonardo da Vinci began studying the human body to improve his paintings of the human form. But he soon threw himself into the study of anatomy. Here, an illustration of the cardiovascular system and major organs of a woman, drawn circa 1509-1510.

Nude Man

A drawing of a nude man by Leonardo da vinci

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

A drawing of a nude man from behind, c.1504-6, by Leonardo da Vinci.

Organs and Vessels

Leonardo da vinci drawing of a man's organs.

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

Leonardo da Vinci was close to unraveling the mysteries of the circulatory system. This drawing of the major organs and circulatory system of a man was made between 1485 and 1490.

The Beauty of the Hand

Leonardo da Vinci's sketch of the hand anatomy.

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

Leonardo da Vinci captured the delicacy of the hand in this series of sketches from around 1510.

Da Vinci's Limbs

Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of shoulders and feet

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

Sketches of the shoulder and foot made by Leonardo da Vinci around 1510.

Da Vinci's Notes

Da Vinci's notes on the death of a centenarian.

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

Leonardo da Vinci's journals contain notes, as well. Here, notes on the death of a centenarian, written in da Vinci's hand in about 1508.

Digestive System

Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of the digestive system.

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

A study of the digestive system made by Leonardo da Vinci.

Skull

Leonardo da Vinci's sketch of a skull.

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

A skull sectioned, 1489, by Leonardo da Vinci.

Sketches of the Heart

Da Vinci's sketches of the heart.

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

Leonardo da Vinci's studies of the coronary vessels and valves of the heart, c.1511-13

Fetus in Utero

Fetus in utero by Leonardo da Vinci.

(Image credit: The Royal Collection (c) 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of a fetus in the womb, made between 1510 and 1513.

Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.