Print of the anatomy theatre at the University of Leiden, by Willem van Swanenburg after Jan Cornelisz. van't Woudt (also know as Woudanus), 1610. This illustration presents the empty anatomy theatre as a lesson in human mortality. Vesalian skeletons carry flags emblazoned: ‘to be born is to die’, ‘death is the line that marks the end of all’ and ‘we are dust and shadows’. Symbols of death include the hour glass above the instrument case and a flayed human skin viewed by the visitors on the right. The mirror held up by a female visitor is a reminder of the self-knowledge acquired through anatomy.