BACKGROUND: The thyroid gland has always been known, but its function was unclear for a long time. It has been thought to be a part of the larynx, protection of the larynx, a lubricant gland, an esthetic organ, and a buffer preventing quick afflux of blood into the head. The aim of this work is to bring out the thyroid gland in works of famous old anatomists and great artists, without valorization of its precisions and exactitudes. METHODS: The works of old anatomists and great artists are analyzed. RESULTS: There are presentations in works of anatomists such as: Rhazes, Avicenna, Mansur, Arderne, da Vinci, Vesalius, Casseri, Bidloo, Cowper, Morgagni, Haller, Gautier d'Agoty, Monro, Mascagni, Bell, Scarpa, Cloquet, Bourgery, etc. Also, there are artistic works with accentuation of thyroid gland, such as the works of: da Vinci, Botticelli, Durer, Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Manet, etc. CONCLUSION: Thyroid gland has been rarely presented in the works of old anatomists. Working as illustrators of anatomy, these great artists have had an invaluable importance for the development of anatomic knowledge, and some of their works are a subject of examination even in our time.
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