Anatomical Crucifixion (of James Legg), 1801.
Until the passing of the Anatomy Act of 1832, the only bodies legally available for dissection in England were those of executed criminals. Casts of flayed cadavers, known as écorchés, were therefore important as models for teaching anatomy both in medical schools and in art academies.
The crucifixion was cast from the corpse of murderer James Legg at the request of three Royal Academicians - sculptor Thomas Banks and painters Benjamin West and Richard Cosway - to prove their belief that most artistic depictions of the Crucifixion were anatomically incorrect.
