The Origin of Medicine

An engraved portrait shows Jan Baptist van Helmont and his son Francis Mercury van Helmont. Jan Baptist, the elder man on the left, has short hair and a mustache. His son, on the right, wears his hair in long, wavy locks. They appear within two overlapping triangles. Eight family coats of arms surround them. These heraldic shields belong to the Helmont, Ranst, Bauw, Vilain, Stassart, Renialme, Halmale, and Merode families. The arrangement emphasizes the noble lineage of the Helmont family.