ecorche n. (Fine Arts) A manikin, or image, representing an animal, especially man, with the skin removed so that the muscles are exposed for purposes of study.
... distinction between imaginative art and science. We can find realism enough in books of anatomy, surgery, and medicine. In studying the human figure, we want to see it clothed with its natural integuments. It is well for the artist to study the ecorche in the dissecting-room, but we do not want the Apollo or the Venus to leave their skins behind them when they go into the gallery for exhibition. Lancisi's figures show us how the great statues ... — Over the Teacups • Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
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