The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt (1632): A Comparison of the Painting With a Dissected Left Forearm of a Dutch Male Cadaver

Abstract

Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632) is considered a masterpiece and is a group portrait of the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons in the form of an anatomy lesson. Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, Doctor of Medicine and Praelector Anatomiae to the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons, showed an anatomic dissection of a forearm on the corpse of an executed criminal. The anatomic accuracy in Rembrandt's famous painting has been discussed in the literature for decades without any general consensus. In 2006, on the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt's birth, a forearm dissection of a cadaver and a comparison with the anatomy in the painting are presented to analyze the anatomic accuracy of Rembrandt's famous painting.

Nicolaes Tulp: The Overshadowed Subject in The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

“…It is interesting to note that the left dissected arm was initially painted in a higher position, less practical from a teaching perspective, and the right arm was originally an amputated stump. The painting shows an amazingly realistic scene in which Tulp appears in the act of demonstrating the anatomy and function of the wrist and fingers' flexor muscles [6,8].…”

“…The flexor muscles in Dr. Tulp's forceps appear to originate from the lateral, instead of the medial, epicondyle of the humerus. But a recent study [6] comparing the forearm in the painting with the dissected left forearm of a male cadaver set in the same position, sides with the artist. The position of the forearm is extended and supinated, the wrist placed on the groin: this setting ''pushes'' the medial epicondyle of the humerus pointing towards the body, with the lateral epicondyle turned away from the body and thus not visible by the point of view of the painting.…”

“…Originally aimed to students for educational purposes, the annual event became a staple of the Dutch Republic social life [6]. The anatomic theaters annually grew in size to better accommodate the important guests [1,10].…”

La lección de anatomía del doctor Nicolaes Tulp: el comienzo de una utopía médica

“…Evidentemente Tulp quería mostrar algo en especial sin pasar por todos los pasos de una disección habitual. Tulp está señalando un músculo (el flexor digitorum superficialis) con un fórceps 30 . Esto es inusual ya que habitualmente se utilizaban punteros para señalar las estructuras anatómicas (Figura 5).…”

“…Luego de dicha disección confirmaron algunos errores menores y la inexactitud de la inserción del flexor digitorum superficialis 30 . Sin embargo, diferentes autores se resisten a aceptar que Rembrandt haya pintado esta anomalía por error.…”