Preparatory drawing for plate 1 of De humani corporis fabrica (Basel, 1543). One of four surviving preparatory sheets, recently identified by Luca Fiorentino.

The sheet is executed in black chalk, with exceptional control of chiaroscuro and anatomical detail. It is comparable to the only other known skeleton drawing associated with the second plate.

The paper bears a Venetian watermark documented from the late fifteenth century and retains its original dimensions.

Trained under Titian and active as a collaborator of Vesalio from 1538, Van Calcar produced a corpus of illustrations that transformed both anatomical study and its visual language.

Recently identified by Luca Fiorentino, the drawing represents one of the rare surviving preparatory works for this foundational publication.