THE ANATOMY LESSON BY DOCTOR NICOLAES TULP

THE ORIGINAL, ON CANVAS, 216.5 X 169.5 CM, SIGNED AND DATED 1632, IS IN THE MAURITSHUIS, THE HAGUE. IT WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE SITTERS, ALL MEMBERS OF THE AMSTERDAM SURGEONS' GUILD, TO BE DISPLAYED IN THE NIEUWE WAAG, NIEUWMARKT. IN 1828 KING WILLIAM I PREVENTED THE PICTURE FROM BEING OFFERED AT PUBLIC AUCTION AND PERSUADED THE STATE TO ACQUIRE IT AS AN IMPORTANT NATIONAL ICON. IT WAS GIVEN ON LOAN TO THE MAURITSHUIS.

THE SCENE SHOWS THE FAMOUS DOCTOR NICOLAES PIETERSZ. TULP (1593-1674), WHO WAS PRAELECTOR OF THE SURGEONS' GUILD BY 1628. HE HAD GIVEN HIS FIRST ANATOMY DEMONSTRATION IN 1631, BUT IS SHOWN IN THE PRESENT PICTURE PERFORMING AT HIS SECOND LESSON, IN 1632. THE BODY USED FOR TULP'S ANATOMY DEMONSTRATION IS THAT OF ADRIAEN ADRIAENSZ., CALLED KINDT, A CONVICTED CRIMINAL WHO HAD BEEN HANGED ON 31 JANUARY 1632 (SEE J. BRUYN ET. AL., A CORPUS OF REMBRANDT PAINTINGS, II, 1986, PP.172-189, NOA51, ILL.).