Skull anatomy. Historical artwork of human skulls by the Italian artist, engineer and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). The top sketch shows a skull with a section of the braincase (cranium) removed. The bottom sketch is of a sagittal (median) section through a skull and the vertebrae of the neck. Da Vinci was one of the first people ever to produce drawings of anatomical subjects. This artwork was published in 1489.