Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.14122

    Man diving underwater

    Date
    1794
    Creator
    Guglielmo Morghen (1780 - 1825, Italian) , Engraver
    After
    Francesco Antonio Lapegna (1769, Italian) , Painter
    Object type
    Library reference
    27806
    Material
    Technique
    Dimensions
    height (print): 289mm
    width (print): 195mm
    Description
    Figure of a classically styled nude man shown submerged, in the correct posture for diving down into deep water.

    Plate 16 from L'uomo galleggiante, o sia l'arte ragionata del nuoto; scoperta fisica [‘The floating man, or the reasoned art of swimming…], by Oronzio de’ Bernardi (Naples, 1794), pp.124/125. The plate is inscribed above: ‘Tav.XVI.’ Below: ‘Franco. Lapegna diso’ dal Naturale. G. Morghen Inc.’

    The illustration is intended to be instructional, in Bernardi’s manual of swimming practice. It accompanies chapter 16 on swimming in the book: ‘Regole per sommergersi in acqua di alto fondo…’ [Rules for submerging in deep water...]

    Oronzio de’ Bernardi (1620-1707), Italian priest and author of a manual of swimming. Bernardi was not a Fellow of the Royal Society.
    Associated place
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