Artists used to disect corpses to study anatomy. You may find this article interesting:
When artists dissected corpses (and anticipated science)
Leonardo da Vinci, Cardiovascular System and Organs of the Female Torso (“The Great Lady”) (1509-1510; black and red stone, pen and ink, yellow watercolor, on toned and openwork paper, 476 x 332 mm; Windsor, Royal Collection, inv. RCIN 912281)
Théodore Géricault was using corpses also Severed Heads
But the big story was his masterpiece:
The Raft of the Medusa quote: "To create a more convincing and realistic scene of suffering, Géricault studied anatomy, attended public executions, and visited morgues and hospitals. Bribing assistants in morgues, he even brought body parts like severed heads and legs into his studio to observe their decay. Thankfully, these naturalistic details did not make it into the painting. Géricault’s contemporaries complained that the artist’s studio emitted a horrible, putrid smell that made everyone sick—everyone except Géricault, who was too immersed in his work to even notice."
