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Original fileThe Physician as Man
De geneesheer als mens De vier gedaantes van de geneesheer (serietitel)
after Hendrick Goltzius
About This Work
A fashionably dressed physician stands prominently in the center, examining a glass matula used for diagnosis. To his left, a convalescing patient sits by a fireplace, and to his right, a patient is attended to in a bedchamber. This work belongs to a series of four prints that allegorically represent the changing status of the doctor in the eyes of his patient, here shown as a fellow human being during recovery.
This series reflects early modern attitudes toward medical practice and the physician's role within the framework of natural philosophy. It illustrates the transition of the healer's perceived identity from a divine or angelic figure during a crisis to a mortal professional who expects social and financial recognition once the patient is healed.