A Physician-Virtuoso in His Cabinet, Examining a Flask of Urine Brought by a Lady

Image credit: Wellcome Collection

How you can use this image

Public Domain

This image has been assigned a Public Domain Mark and is free to use with unrestricted use.

Please acknowledge the Collection who own the work with a photo credit — this helps spread the word about their resources.

To learn more about images and rights, please see our image use page.

Download

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

The subject and composition are characteristic of Gerard Thomas of Antwerp, but the two elongated figures of the lady and the woman holding the baby are in a different style. In a large room, on the left a man seated at a table turns to the right to look up at a flask of urine which he holds in his left hand. In the centre stands an elaborately dressed lady, presumably having brought the urine for diagnosis. Behind them, a nurse holds a young child (possibly the lady's child?). On the right, an archway joins the room to a hallway in which is a staircase leading up to the first floor: at ground floor level in the hallway a surgeon performs an operation (perhaps a tooth extraction) on a seated patient. In the right foreground are two boys: one plays with the lady's dog (its ruff is made from the same material as the bows on her shoes), while the other kneels to apply bellows to a brazier for pharmaceutical procedures.

Wellcome Collection

London

Title

A Physician-Virtuoso in His Cabinet, Examining a Flask of Urine Brought by a Lady

Date

early 18th C

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 81 x W 115.5 cm

Accession number

45024i

Acquisition method

purchased by Henry S. Wellcome, c.1900–1936

Work type

Painting

Wellcome Collection

183 Euston Road, London, Greater London NW1 2BE England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue