''The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Deijman'' (alternative spelling Deyman) is a 1656 fragmentary painting by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...

, now in

Amsterdam Museum The Amsterdam Museum, known until 2010 as the Amsterdam Historical Museum, is an Amsterdam-based museum dedicated to the city's past and present. Due to the renovation of its main location, the museum is temporarily located in the building the Ams ...

. It is a group portrait showing a brain dissection by Dr. Jan Deijman (16191666). Much of the canvas was destroyed in a fire in 1723 and the painting was subsequently recut to its present dimensions, though a preparatory sketch shows the full group. The painting shows Dr. Deijman performing a brain dissection on the cadaver of an executed criminal, the Flemish tailor Joris "Black Jack" Fonteijn (1633/341656), an habitual offender who had robbed a textile store with a knife resulting in his execution by hanging. Dr. Deijman's assistant, the surgeon Gijsbert Calkoen (16211664), is seen on the left, holding the top of the dead man's skull. The perspective of the corpse is depicted with exaggerated

foreshortening Linear or point-projection perspective (from la, perspicere 'to see through') is one of two types of graphical projection perspective in the graphic arts; the other is parallel projection. Linear perspective is an approximate representation, ...

to give the viewer a sense of standing in front of the dissection table, similar to the

in Mantegna's ''

Lamentation of Christ The Lamentation of Christ is a very common subject in Christian art from the High Middle Ages to the Baroque. After Jesus was crucified, his body was removed from the cross and his friends mourned over his body. This event has been depicted by m ...

'', which Rembrandt would have been familiar with through prints.

Joris Fonteijn

Joris Fonteijn (1633 / 1634-1656), nicknamed “Black Jan” (Zwarte Jan), was originally from Diest in Flanders. Trained as a tailor, he served three and a half years with the Dutch East India Company. After his return to Diest, in October 1653, he squandered the maternal inheritance and became a delinquent. At the end of 1655, he was caught in the act of a burglary at the Nieuwendijk in Amsterdam. He was sentenced to hang on January 27, 1656 and executed two days later. The firearm he used during the burglary is displayed above his head, "for the edification of others". Subsequently, his body was made available to surgeons for three days for their training, and he was buried on February 2 at the Zuiderkerkhof.

References

External links

amsterdammuseum.nl
1656 paintings Paintings by Rembrandt Paintings in Amsterdam Paintings about death Medicine in art Cultural depictions of Dutch men Cultural depictions of physicians Skulls in art Fire in culture Individual human heads, skulls and brains Biology and natural history in the Dutch Republic {{17C-painting-stub

Joris Fonteijn

See also

References

External links