According to Museum Het Rembrandthuis (cite online source), a leading physician of the Guild of Physicians would, twice a week, give anatomy lessons. Once a year, there would be a public autopsy. This would take place during the winter so the body would not smell very bad due to the heat and decomposition. These public autopsies would be performed on a criminal usually, and in Rembrandt’s painting, the subject was Adriaen het Kint. Adriaen was arrested for armed robbery, and he was hung by rope till death. His sentence being served, the public dissection was performed by Dr. Tulp. Rembrandt was in the crowd and captured this moment in time of Dr. Tulp showing the interior of the arm with a group of gentlemen immediately around the
According to Museum Het Rembrandthuis (cite online source), a leading physician of the Guild of Physicians would, twice a week, give anatomy lessons. Once a year, there would be a public autopsy. This would take place during the winter so the body would not smell very bad due to the heat and decomposition. These public autopsies would be performed on a criminal usually, and in Rembrandt’s painting, the subject was Adriaen het Kint. Adriaen was arrested for armed robbery, and he was hung by rope till death. His sentence being served, the public dissection was performed by Dr. Tulp. Rembrandt was in the crowd and captured this moment in time of Dr. Tulp showing the interior of the arm with a group of gentlemen immediately around the