Rembrandt – The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp is Rembrandt’s group portrait of Amsterdam surgeons from 1632: the physician Nicolaes Tulp lifts the muscles of a dead man’s arm with forceps and explains them to seven men leaning over the body. The original, oil on canvas, is 169.5 cm high and 216.5 cm wide and hangs in the Mauritshuis in The Hague. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas in 7 sizes, from 120 x 98 to 246 x 197 cm, or to your own measurement, and send you a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp – Rembrandt

What does The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp show?

A man’s body lies on a table, covered only across the hips with a white cloth. On the right sits Dr Nicolaes Tulp in a black cloak and broad black hat; with his right hand he holds forceps and lifts the exposed muscles of the dead man’s left arm, and with his left he shows how the fingers move. At the right edge, by his feet, lies a large open book.

The other seven men are bareheaded and wear white lace collars. They crowd around the table; some look at the arm, others at the book, one looks straight at us and one holds a sheet of names. The light falls on the body and the faces, and everything else is in brown shadow.

Why is this painting so famous?

Because it made Rembrandt famous. The Mauritshuis writes that he was only twenty-five when the Amsterdam surgeons asked him to paint them, and that the painting firmly established his name as a portraitist. It came shortly after his move from Leiden to Amsterdam and was his first major commission in the city.

The second reason is that the surgeons are not posing. Rembrandt, the museum says, painted them in action, each looking at something different, and the strong contrasts of light and dark add drama. The group portrait became a scene that makes you stop.

What does the painting mean, and who is the dead man?

Public anatomies were an event at the time: once a year the Amsterdam surgeons’ guild dissected the body of an executed criminal in public, and students and citizens could watch. The Mauritshuis notes that we even know the dead man’s name: Adriaen Adriaensz, known as Aris Kindt, sentenced to death for stealing a winter coat and hanged on 31 January 1632. His body was given to the guild for the annual public anatomy lesson.

So the painting is at once a portrait of respected men and an image of knowledge learned from death. Tulp is not cutting but explaining: the surgeons wanted to be shown as learned men. There is more in the Wikipedia article on the painting.

Where is the original today, and how did it get there?

The original is in the Mauritshuis in The Hague under inventory number 146 and is on view in Room 9. It first hung with the surgeons’ guild in Amsterdam.

In 1828 the surgeons’ widows’ fund wanted to sell it, but King William I blocked the sale by royal decree. The Dutch state bought it for 32,000 guilders and placed it in the Mauritshuis. The painting is signed and dated at the top centre: Rembrant. fv: 1632.

The Anatomy Lesson or another Rembrandt – which should you choose?

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp is a painting for a doctor’s office, a practice, a library or a study where people like to think. Another famous Amsterdam group portrait is The Night Watch, ten years younger and full of movement. A calmer group portrait from his late years is Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild.

If you would rather have a single thoughtful figure, look at Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, and for Rembrandt himself the Self-Portrait with Two Circles. Our Rembrandt page lists all the famous Rembrandt paintings we make.

How is our hand-painted Anatomy Lesson made?

One of our painters paints it by hand, in oil colours on canvas. First comes the composition: the diagonal of the body, the group of heads on the left and Tulp on the right, all checked against the original, because each of the eight faces has to look the right way. Then the dark background and the black clothes are built up in several layers.

Last come the white lace of the collars, the skin of the body and the exposed muscles of the arm, where precision matters most. The result is an oil painting reproduction with real brushstrokes, where a print would have only a flat surface.

Which size for which wall?

Short answer: 120 x 98 or 140 x 105 cm above a desk, a sofa or in a waiting room, 150 x 123 or 170 x 136 cm for a large office or library wall, and 190 x 153, 220 x 170 and 246 x 197 cm for lecture halls, entrance halls and large workplaces.

There are 7 sizes (width x height): 120 x 98, 140 x 105, 150 x 123, 170 x 136, 190 x 153, 220 x 170 and 246 x 197 cm. The original is 216.5 cm wide and 169.5 cm high; our nearest size is 220 x 170 cm, which is 3.5 cm wider and 5 mm higher. As a painting for the living room, 120 x 98 or 140 x 105 cm is enough, because this canvas painting with many faces is good to look at from close up.

Hang it with the centre of the canvas about 150 cm above the floor; above a table or a sofa, leave 20 to 30 cm to the bottom edge.

What if I need a custom size or a frame?

We can paint The Anatomy Lesson in another width and height, ideally in the proportions of the original, about 9 : 7, so that every face stays in the picture. Tell us the size you want and we will send a price and a lead time.

We ship it rolled, stretched on a wooden stretcher bar or framed, and the stretching and framing are done in our workshop in Slovenia. You choose the frame in the 3D application, which is only for choosing the frame; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service. A dark wooden moulding matches the black clothes, while a narrow gold one brings out the light on the faces.

How does delivery work, and what is the guarantee?

This Rembrandt reproduction is painted once you order, so allow 15 to 45 working days. We ship across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting for approval, and if anything needs correcting we do it; our returns policy applies to every order.

As a present for a doctor, a surgeon or the opening of a practice, when you do not know the size, choose a wall art voucher.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the original Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp?

In the Mauritshuis in The Hague, inventory number 146. The Dutch state bought it in 1828 for 32,000 guilders.

Who was Dr Tulp?

Nicolaes Tulp, an Amsterdam physician who gave the surgeons’ guild’s public anatomy lesson in January 1632. In the painting he sits on the right in a black hat, explaining the muscles of the arm.

Who is the dead man in the painting?

According to the Mauritshuis, Adriaen Adriaensz, known as Aris Kindt, convicted of stealing a winter coat and hanged on 31 January 1632. His body was given to the guild for the annual public anatomy.

Is your Anatomy Lesson a print?

No. It is a hand-painted copy in oil on canvas that a painter makes specially for you, with real brushstrokes.

How old was Rembrandt when he painted it?

The Mauritshuis writes that he was only twenty-five; the painting was his first major commission in Amsterdam and established him as a portraitist.

How big is the original?

It is 169.5 cm high and 216.5 cm wide. Our 220 x 170 cm size comes very close; the smallest size is 120 x 98 cm.

Is the painting suitable for a medical practice or an office?

Yes, especially for doctors, surgeons, physiotherapists and medical students. In a waiting room or an office, choose 140 x 105 or 150 x 123 cm.

Does it make a good gift?

Yes, it is a classic gift for a medical graduation, a specialist qualification or the opening of a practice. If the size is a puzzle, a wall art voucher solves it.

• Subject: Dr Nicolaes Tulp explains the muscles of the arm on a body, surrounded by seven Amsterdam surgeons.
• Original: 1632, oil on canvas, 169.5 x 216.5 cm, Mauritshuis, The Hague.
• Ours: hand-painted in oil on canvas, in 7 sizes from 120 x 98 to 246 x 197 cm or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: Rembrandt was only twenty-five when he took the commission, and the painting made him famous.