A crumbling monument with foliage sprouting from the crevices forms the backdrop for a corpse that assists in its own dissection by holding open its chest. Intended for scientific and artistic instruction, this anatomical woodcut illustrates the structure and function of the human body. Similarly, the ruins of classical buildings offered architecture students "skeletons" through which to understand the principles of design and building.

The Getty Research Institute, Research Library has a number of works by Charles Estienne