Lucas van Leyden: ear surgery

This surgeon is shown operating on the ear of a young man in an environment quite different from a modern surgical suite. He may be merely lancing a boil, but his patient looks unhappy. It is also obvious from their clothes that there is quite a difference in class between the two. With his fur lined coat and intricate sleeves, the surgeon looks prosperous. The patient wears less ornate clothes and may be a poor laborer. The artist, Lucas upon Leiden (1494-1533), was an early Netherlandish genre painter and famous engraver so highly appreciated that some writers rated him above the famous Albrecht Dürer.

The Surgeon. Lucas van Leyden. 1524. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Fall 2019  |  Sections  |  Surgery