A 17-Foot Medieval Scroll Reveals the First Great Anatomy Illustrations

Anatomy Unzipped: John of Arderne's Sweden Scroll (Ca. 1425–35)

The Sweden Scroll, a lavishly illustrated 15th-century manuscript of John of Arderne's surgical treatises, is the only known Arderne scroll and the most richly illuminated. Its four full-size anatomical figures—nude, flayed, and skeletal—are among the most remarkable of the era, bridging medieval and Renaissance anatomy.