The muscles of the left leg, seen from the front, and the bones and muscles of the right leg seen in right profile, and between them, a patella. Drawing by Michelangelo Buonarroti, ca. 1515-1520.

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<p>On the left is a drawing of the front or anterior view of the left thigh and leg, in which each of the major muscles is carefully drawn in outline and then hatched diagonally to emphasize its shape. Anatomists refer to the swelling central part of the muscle as its "belly", and the swelling and tapering shape of muscle is clearly delineated by the draughtsman, as is the compact way in which the muscles interweave each other. On the right is a side view of the same structure after the muscles have been cut away from the front of the limb</p>

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The muscles of the left leg, seen from the front, and the bones and muscles of the right leg seen in right profile, and between them, a patella. Drawing by Michelangelo Buonarroti, ca. 1515-1520.

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