Journal of Morphological Sciences Vol. 38/2021 272 Journal of Morphological Sciences J Morphol Sci Brazilian Society of Anatomy Original Article J Morphol Sci 2021;38:272-278 A Glass Painting by Raphael Sanzivs (1483-1520) Revealed by its Partially Hidden Signatures on the Characters’ Anatomy Deivis de Campos, 1,2,3 Danielle Coutnho Rodrigues, 1 Tais Malysz, 4 Adriana August, 5,6 Luciano Buso 7 1 Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 2 Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil 3 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Promoção da Saúde, Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil 4 Departamento de Ciências Morfológicas, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 5 Già ispettore dell’arte, Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo, Venice, Italy 6 Già direttore della Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro, Venice, Italy 7 Studioso e ricercatore scientifco nel campo dell’arte, San Vito di Altivole, 31030, Treviso, Italy Disclose and conflicts of interest: none to be declared by all authors ABSTRACT Introduction: The study of anatomy, besides being important to the medicine, has traditionally always been present in the daily life of many artists since of the antiquity. Thus, the specialized literature has described that the notorious Renaissance artist, Raphael Sanzivs Vrbinas (1483-1520) is among the greatest anatomist-artists of his time. In this context, this manuscript shows in detail that Raphael Sanzivs may have partially hidden his signatures/initials [‘SANZIVS’, ‘RAPHAEL’, ‘RVS’, ‘RV’, ‘RS’, ‘RA’] in the anatomy of the characters of a painting on glass dated 1513 [belonging to a private collection], on which is represented St. Joseph and the Infant Jesus. Materials and Methods: All the analysis made on this painting on glass, were performed by highly experienced specialists on artworks of the Renaissance period. Results: These partially hidden signatures of Raphael Sanzivs, besides evincing the artist’s abilities related to the painting techniques and his interest regarding the human anatomy, may also be useful for further studies that aim the verification of Raphael Sanzivs’ authorship on the paintings that haven’t yet been attributed to the artist. Conclusion: The present manuscript shall be important for professionals in the medical-artistic field and those who keep some interest in the history of anatomy. Keywords: Raphael Sanzivs; Hidden signatures; Human anatomy; History; Painting on glass. DOI: 10.51929/jms.38.46.2021 ISSN 2177-0298 Introducton The specialized literature 1-3 has described that the notorious Renaissance artist, Raphael Sanzivs Vrbinas (1483-1520) was a great scholar of human anatomy. In this context, along with Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), Raphael Sanzivs is among the greatest anatomist-artists of his time. 2-4 During the Italian Renaissance, the study of the human anatomy became a need among the great artists, because from this learning on, certainly, all the representations of the human body in their paintings would be much closer to reality. 4-7 Indeed, at that time, artists considered it a necessity to become anatomists, in their attempt to produce a more lifelike, sculptural portrayal of the human body. According to the new Renaissance wave, art should not just be a copy of the classic nudes of antiquity but a bearer of a new spirit for which anatomical dissections were crucial to better reproduce the body, its movements and functions, as well as its supporting structures in art. 8,9 Additionally, some paintings of many Italian Renaissance artists, including those from Raphael Sanzivs, are steemed not only for the beautiful representations of the human body, but also for presenting partially hidden secret codes and faces/ signatures. 4,10 In this context, this manuscript shows in detail that one of the greatest anatomist-artists from the Italian Renaissance, Raphael Sanzivs, 2-4 may have partially hidden his signatures/initials in the anatomy of the characters of a painting on glass dated 1513. Materials and Methods Analysis Since 2008, a Raphael Sanzivs’ painting on glass, on which is represented St. Joseph and the Infant Jesus [belonging to a private collection], has come to be thoroughly studied in an artwork restoration laboratory [Italy ] (Figure 1). On the frst description/ publication about the glass painting, it was postulated that it could have been made in 1508. 11 Nevertheless, this manuscript demonstrates through recent analysis that it may have been painted in 1513. All the analysis [ technical, historical and iconographic ] made on