The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

Rembrandt van Rijn painted this group portrait in 1632, showing Dr. Nicolaes Tulp demonstrating arm anatomy to a group of Amsterdam surgeons. The corpse lies on the dissection table, its left arm opened to reveal muscles and tendons. Seven observers lean in, their faces illuminated against the dark background.

The cadaver was Aris Kindt, a thief hanged for stealing a winter coat on January 31, 1632. His body was given to the surgeons' guild for their annual public anatomy lesson. Rembrandt was just 25 or 26 when he received this commission, but he already showed notable ability to arrange multiple figures and capture psychological intensity.

The painting established Rembrandt's reputation as a portraitist in Amsterdam. Several of the surgeons paid to be included, and their intense attention to the demonstration makes the scene feel like a witnessed event rather than a posed picture. It hangs at the Mauritshuis in The Hague.