Artwork
The Doctor
The Doctor is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Unknown. It dates from 1653 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
The Doctor is a painting depicting a serene, everyday moment in a 17th-century medical setting. A physician examines a urine sample by a window, surrounded by various objects and accompanied by a waiting woman.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates a common 17th-century diagnostic practice: urinalysis. The scene conveys a sense of quiet, methodical work, capturing an ordinary moment in the life of a doctor.
Technique & Style
Characterized by meticulous attention to detail, the work is a copy of a lost original by Gerrit Dou, a painter renowned for his small, carefully rendered scenes. The style reflects Dou's signature precision.
History & Provenance
This painting is a copy of a lost original work by the Dutch painter Gerrit Dou, with the original believed to have been located in Vienna. Provenance details are not specified beyond its connection to Dou's work.
Context
Created in the context of 17th-century Dutch Golden Age painting, the work reflects the era's attention to domestic detail and the medical practices of the time, including the reliance on urinalysis for diagnosis.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
