The thesis deals with vaiious aspects of the study of anatomy by artists in Italy in the sixteenth century. Emphasis has been placed on the evaluation of original sources rather than on an analysis of the anatomy displayed in depicted nudes of this period. How and why artists studied anatomy is revealed through contemporary literature, documents, drawings, prints and sculpture. While Leonardo da Vinci is considered, greater attention is paid to other artists who had an interest in anatomy, some of them lesser known, in an effort to gain a wider view. The first chapter deals with the positive and negative perception of anatomy and art as represented through writings on art of the period. Chapter two focuses on the issue of the frequency of dissection by artists as well as by anatomists at this time, with an examination of contemporary references to dissections, including new documentary material. The study of the skeleton by artists is considered in chapter three and a new transcription of Cellini's discourse on the study of the skeleton as the correct introduction to art is provided. By far the most abundant source of evidence for the study of anatomy by artists is anatomical drawings. In the fourth chapter various types are analyzed with attention paid to the high incidence of copies amongst them. Separate studies are made of both Michelangelo and Alessandro Allori and their anatomical drawings. In chapter five, the history of Michelangelo's study of anatomy as represented in the sources is discussed and in chapter six the surviving manuscript writings of Allori on anatomy are considered. In the final chapter an examination is made of the origins of the écorch model, leading up to Cigoli's Scorticato at the turn of the century. This is followed by a conclusion, bibliography and indices of drawings and artists.