Prospero’s Tools

Chapter 1 considers the circumstances underpinning Pope Benedict XIV’s patronage of anatomy and anatomical modelling in Bologna and antiquarian display in Rome. It situates the pope’s support of anatomy in the wider context of his religious pursuits as an assessor of sanctity who saw in anatomy a powerful tool for identifying signs of holy embodiment. In particular, the chapter explores Lambertini’s patronage of anatomical modelling and practice in light of the role he attributed to anatomical knowledge in his major work on canonization, his De servorum Dei beatificatione et canonizatione beatorum (1734–8). While doing so, it construes Lambertini’s support for anatomy and anatomical displays against the broader historical canvas of post-Tridentine concerns about the cult of saints and relics, the authority of the pope, and the pontiff’s claims to jurisdiction over both the temporal and the spiritual realms.