L’Écorché
sculpture by Houdon
Quick Summary
The L'Écorché is an anatomical figure, created by sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, that depicts a human or animal with the skin removed to reveal the muscles. This type of figure has been used by Western artists since the 15th century to accurately represent the body and its musculature. Artists would study cadavers to understand anatomy, creating three-dimensional écorché models for their studios. Houdon's L'Écorché, created around 1767, gained significant fame and was widely replicated for art instruction.12
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