Stephan Ballard

Montreal, Quebec, Canda

This image captures two Byzantine scalpels from the Osler Library's collection, dating back to the first millennium AD. Part of the Heart & Mind: From Vellum to Bio Ink artist-in-residence project, reflects on the evolution of medical knowledge and tools.

By magnifying a portion of the scalpel, the photograph transforms the artifact into a monument of history. The worn surface, rich with the patina of time, suggests the distant landscapes where it was unearthed. It invites us to consider the countless hands that once wielded it-physicians, surgeons, and scholars-before it reached us today.

The scalpel rests on a vellum book cover, an intentional connection to the same era when European manuscripts were written on animal skin. The image is a meditation on continuity-the enduring link between past and present-in the pursuit of healing.

Purpose

History of medicine

Equiment
A Godox MF12-DK1 twin flash mounted on a bracket with softbox diffusion was used to create a broad, diffused light source. This minimized glare and enhanced enamel texture, revealing subtle irregularities with clarity. Image was shot at 90mm macro at 1:1 reproduction ratio.