The superintendents of the Collegium Medicum in Amsterdam

Adriaen Backer painted The superintendents of the Collegium Medicum in Amsterdam in 1683, a large oil portrait measuring 261 cm by 378 cm that now hangs at the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Museum in Amsterdam. The work depicts civic officials overseeing medical education at the Dutch college of medicine, reflecting the institutional importance of anatomical instruction in the late 17th century. Scholars have noted its significance within Backer’s oeuvre as a rare full-length group portrait of medical administrators, linking it to broader Dutch portraiture traditions and the visual culture of scientific collectives in the Dutch Golden Age.

Adriaen Backer’s 1692 oil painting records the six superintendents of Amsterdam’s Collegium Medicum. Executed in a modestly sized canvas, the work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The composition presents the officials gathered around a table in a well‑appointed interior, their solemn expressions underscored by the presence of a small dog at one’s feet.

The figures are not generic gentlemen but the governing physicians of the city’s medical college. Their black robes and wide‑brimmed hats identify them as officials, while the lace collars, rings and polished shoes signal status. The inclusion of the dog introduces a domestic element, softening the formal atmosphere of the council’s deliberations.