écorché

Meanings

1. 1nouncountabletechnical

   a drawing, sculpture, or model of a human or animal body with the skin removed so the muscles are shown.

   Grammar: Countable noun; the plural can be 'écorchés' or unchanged 'écorché'.

   Patterns

   • an écorché of someone
   • study from an écorché
   • draw an écorché

   The anatomy class studied an écorché to learn how the muscles lie under the skin.

   Her sketchbook was full of écorchés showing the muscles of the arm and leg.

   The museum displays a famous bronze écorché of a horse.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   a person or animal shown in art with the skin stripped away to reveal the muscles.

   Grammar: Used in art history to describe the figure itself, not just the artwork.

   Patterns

   • a figure painted as an écorché
   • depict someone as an écorché

   In the painting, the saint is shown as an écorché holding his own skin.

   The sculptor carved the hero as an écorché to show strength and suffering.

Word forms

Common combinations

anatomical écorché

The course begins with an anatomical écorché of the torso.

study from an écorché

Artists in the nineteenth century often studied from an écorché.

wax écorché

The collection includes a rare wax écorché from the 1700s.

Synonyms and how they differ

anatomical figure

A broader term; it can include models with skin, so it is less precise than 'écorché'.

flayed figure

A plain English description of the same idea, but it sounds more medical or violent than the art term.

Word family

écorché adjective

Used before a noun, as in 'an écorché figure', meaning shown with the skin removed.

Commonly confused: écorché or scorched?

Practice

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