Cranial Dissection, plate five from Anatomy of the Head, in Printed Paintings

In the dedication of his book, to King Louis XV, Gautier D’Agoty justified his subject matter in true Enlightenment form by pointing out that the head most differentiates men from animals and is “the Temple of Wisdom, and Sanctuary of Virtue.” Gautier offered his “printed paintings” to the king as a substitute for observing the dissected specimens in person: “YOUR MAJESTY would not deign to cast his eyes on these marvels from too close and affecting a distance. I present them to you faithfully printed after nature. My burin will save you the horror that nature itself would inspire in you.”