Anna Morandi Manzolini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Morandi Manzolini
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| Born |
Anna Morandi
21 January 1714 |
| Died | 9 July 1774 (aged 60) Bologna
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| Nationality | Papal States |
| Occupation | Sculptor |
| Known for | Anatomical models |
Anna Morandi Manzolini (born January 21, 1714 – died July 9, 1774) was a famous scientist and artist from Italy. She was known around the world for her amazing wax models of the human body. Anna also taught about anatomy (the study of the body's structure) at the University of Bologna.
Contents
Life Story of Anna Morandi Manzolini
Anna Morandi was born in 1714 in Bologna, Italy. She grew up in a time when most girls were expected to marry, have children, and take care of their homes. But Anna was different. She did marry and have children, but she also worked closely with her husband.
In 1736, Anna married her childhood sweetheart, Giovanni Manzolini. He was a professor who taught anatomy at the University of Bologna. Anna was 20 years old, and Giovanni was 24. Over the next five years, they had six children together.
Giovanni set up a special studio in their home. This wasn't just for art; it became a science lab and a school for both of them. Anna and Giovanni worked together, carefully studying human bodies. Giovanni was an expert in anatomy, and Anna was a talented artist. Together, they created incredible wax models that looked exactly like real body parts.
They taught many medical students because they had access to many body parts for study. Soon, Anna and Giovanni became very well known. By the early 1750s, people from all over Italy and even other countries recognized their amazing work.
In 1755, Anna's husband, Giovanni, passed away. This left Anna and their two surviving children without much support. She had to send one of her children, Guiseppe, to an orphanage. Anna received offers for jobs from other universities, but she wanted to stay in her hometown of Bologna.
She asked the Pope for help and passed a difficult test given by the Bolognese Senate. Because of her skills, Anna was given a small amount of money each year. She also got a special job at the University of Bologna. This job allowed her to continue studying human bodies from the Bologna hospital.
Anna Morandi Manzolini had a big impact on Bologna in the 1700s. She combined art and science to bring human anatomy to life. Many people, especially doctors and scientists, traveled from all over the world to see her detailed wax models. Anna passed away in Bologna in 1774, when she was 60 years old.
Anna's Amazing Career
News of Anna's incredible talent for making anatomical models spread across Europe. Important people, like Catherine II of Russia, invited her to their royal courts. This was a huge moment in her life. To learn anatomy, Anna had to study real human bodies very closely. This was very difficult for her, but she bravely overcame her fears.
Her husband, Giovanni, was so inspired by her hard work that he returned to his own studies. Many artists, thinkers, and scientists in Europe saw them as a powerful team. When Giovanni became sick, Anna was given special permission to teach in his place. After her husband died in 1755, the Institute of Bologna officially made Anna a Lecturer in Anatomy in her own name.
What Anna Morandi Manzolini Created
Anna worked with her husband, but after his death in 1755, she became even more skilled and famous than he was. She had a deep scientific understanding of human anatomy. She also became incredibly good at showing anatomy accurately in her wax sculptures.
Anna gave famous lectures in her home to doctors and important visitors. She shared her expert knowledge of anatomy, which she gained from studying over 1,000 human bodies herself. She also shared new discoveries that she and her husband had made, and some that she made alone. She clearly showed how wonderfully the human body is put together.
Anna also made two wax sculptures of people's faces and upper bodies, called busts. These are now on display at the Palazzo Poggi in Bologna. One is a self-portrait, where she shows herself working on a human brain. The other is of her husband, doing similar work. Anna's wax models were highly valued both during her lifetime and long after she died.
Some of her anatomical models were so well made that it was hard to tell them apart from the real body parts they copied. Her amazing skill at studying bodies also led her to discover several body parts that no one knew about before. This included a part of the oblique muscle of the eye. She was also the first person to make tiny body parts in wax, like very small blood vessels and nerves.
The Manzolini Collection
Anna's collection of wax models was known all over Europe as Supellex Manzoliniana. People eagerly wanted these models to help them study anatomy. Her work became a model for other collections, like the Vassourie collection. It also inspired creations by Dr. Auzoux made from papier-mâché. These were early versions of the models used in schools and colleges today.
A collection of her models was bought by the Medical Institute of Bologna. They are now kept at the Institute of Science in Bologna. Her wax self-portrait, showing her studying a human brain, was placed in the anatomy museum of the Institute of Sciences in Palazzo Poggi in 1776. It was placed next to her wax bust of her husband. Both were moved back to the Poggi in 2000.
Honors and Awards
Anna Morandi Manzolini received many honors for her amazing work:
- She was given the title of Professor of Anatomy by the Institute of Bologna in 1756.
- The Institute of Bologna also gave her the added title of Modelatrice (meaning 'model maker') in 1760.
- Many leaders of countries honored her.
- Emperor Joseph II of Austria bought one of her models and showed how much he appreciated her skill.
- Catherine II of Russia invited her to Moscow to give lectures and made her a member of the Russian Royal Scientific Association.
- The British Royal Society made her a member and invited her to lecture in London.
- In Italy, she was honored as the person who invented and perfected anatomical preparations made from wax.
Gallery
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A drawing of Anna Morandi Manzolini's self-portrait bust.
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A wax model of an ear made by Anna Manzolini.
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A wax model of hands created by Anna Morandi Manzolini.
See also
In Spanish: Anna Morandi Manzolini para niños
