Oil Paintings Reproductions

About The Artist - Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606 - October 4, 1669)

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn or Rembrandt, a Dutch painter and etcher, is considered the greatest painters in European Art history and the best in Dutch art history.

About The Painting - The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp

Rembrandt's mature works are marked by personal tragedies and economic hardships. Clearly, the greatest Dutch painter, Rembrandt's portraits, self-portraits, and paintings with Biblical content are his greatest creative achievements. As a matter of fact, Rembrandt has been called "one of the great prophets of civilization" due to his empathy for the conditions of his fellow humans.

One of his most famous paintings, Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp is oil on canvas and it depicts the musculature of the arm of a human body to some medical professionals. The corpse lying on the table is of the criminal Aris Kindt, who was hanged earlier in the day on charges of armed robbery. It is understood that some of the people shown in the picture were patrons who paid commissions to become part of the frame.

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp is the true depiction of an event that can be traced to Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons, 16 January 1632. Dr. Tulp was then the official City Anatomist and was permitted to publicly dissect just one body, only of an executed criminal, each year. Anatomy lessons were staged events in which students, general public and colleagues were permitted to entry for a fee.

In Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, the Preparator, or the person who prepares the body for the anatomy lesson, is missing. And perhaps that is why the picture doesn't show any surgical instruments. But we do see a huge open textbook on anatomy. This could be the 1543 De Humani Corporis Fabrica (Fabric of the Human Body) by Andreas Vesalius. Furthermore, the face of the dead criminal is partially under shadow suggesting that "umbra mortis" or show of death technique has been employed by Rembrandt.

Rembrandt was only 26 years old when he painted The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp and medical experts have been amazed at the painter's accurate depiction of muscles and tendons.