The Doctor
1653 | Gerard Dou
With his small-format paintings executed with the utmost precision, Gerrit Dou, the eldest of Rembrandt’s pupils, became the founder of the Dutch genre called “fine painting”. Created in an extremely protracted process, his works met with great approval and were sought after as collector’s items by his contemporaries. The doctor is making his diagnosis by examining the patient’s urine, a procedure that was recognised by the orthodox medicine of the 17th century. However, his imaginative outfit exposes him as a charlatan.
With his small-format paintings executed with the utmost precision, Gerrit Dou, the eldest of Rembrandt’s pupils, became the founder of the Dutch genre called “fine painting”. Created in an extremely protracted process, his works met with great approval and were sought after as collector’s items by his contemporaries. The doctor is making his diagnosis by examining the patient’s urine, a procedure that was recognised by the orthodox medicine of the 17th century. However, his imaginative outfit exposes him as a charlatan.
Artist:
Gerard Dou (1613 - 1675 Leiden) DNB
Time:
1653
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Dutch
Material/technology:
oak wood
Dimensions:
Overall: 49,3 cm × 36,7 cm × 0,8 cm
Framed: 62 cm × 50 cm × 4,5 cm
Signed
Inscribed in the middle of the parapet: GDOV. 1653 (G and D ligated)
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 592
Provenance
1772 from Pressburg to Vienna