Skip to main content

Imitator of David Teniers the Younger, A Doctor tending a Patient's Foot in his Surgery

Key facts
Full title A Doctor tending a Patient's Foot in his Surgery
Artist Imitator of David Teniers the Younger
Artist dates 1610 - 1690
Date made 17th century
Medium and support Oil on oak
Dimensions 39 × 61.1 cm
Acquisition credit Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number NG2599
Location Not on display
Collection Main Collection
Previous owners
A Doctor tending a Patient's Foot in his Surgery
Imitator of David Teniers the Younger
/

An assistant prepares a plaster at the table while the doctor treats a patient’s foot. This composition is derived from works by Adriaen Brouwer, who had a profound influence on Teniers. Teniers made several variations on the theme, which were often imitated by his contemporaries and later artists. There was a tradition in Flemish painting of ridiculing quack doctors and their practices, and this may be the case here. It is possible, for example, that the open-mouthed fish hanging from the ceiling suggests gullibility.

Although the composition is strongly reminiscent of Teniers’s work and it is signed (bottom left), it is too poorly executed to be by him. The signature is probably false, and the painting made by an imitator after Teniers’s death. Other imitations of the same composition survive (in the Wellcome Collection, London, for example), and they may have all been copying an original work by Teniers, since lost.

Download image
Download low-resolution image

Download a low-resolution copy of this image for personal use.

License this image

License and download a high-resolution image for reproductions up to A3 size from the National Gallery Picture Library.

License image
Download low-resolution image

This image is licensed for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons agreement.

Examples of non-commercial use are:

  • Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university)
  • Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media

The image file is 800 pixels on the longest side.

As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. Help keep us free by making a donation today.

Download low-resolution image

You must agree to the Creative Commons terms and conditions to download this image.

Creative Commons Logo