title: Human reproduction in art: from myths to history.
abstract: Conception, gestation, and birth, including maternal-fetal health, have been the subject of narrative and art since early human history. Myth and histories related to pregnancy were represented by sculptors and painters as well as the subject of several operas: the mystery of reproduction was always a fascinating theme. This mystery was commonly represented across cultures and time, in the old world, from Egypt to India, to Greece and Rome continuing until the Renaissance and the Modern period. To be an artist meant also to be a scientist in several societies. The current paper reports 12 examples of the fusion of art and reproductive science.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Siena, Policlinico, Siena, Italy. petraglia@unisi.it
authors.forename: Felice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petraglia
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bettini
mesh_terms: D006664:History; D006801:Humans; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D009229:Mythology; D010151:Paintings; D012098:Reproduction; D012613:Sculpture