1524
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
The Surgeon is a 1524 ink by Lucas van Leyden, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
In this engraving, a surgeon is depicted in the act of removing a stone from a man's head. The surgeon, seated on a chair, grasps the man's head with one hand while using a tool to extract the stone with the other. The man, kneeling on the ground, looks up at the surgeon with a mixture of fear and anticipation. The scene is set against a simple background, with the surgeon's chair and the man's kneeling position creating a sense of intimacy and focus on the procedure. The engraving is rendered in fine detail, with cross-hatching used to create texture and depth. The image is a striking example of Renaissance art, and for more information on the technique of engraving, you can explore the work of Lucas van Leyden.
Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very accomplished engraver.
See the richer artist page
![The Surgeon [reverse copy]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/12ced91956e84708/thumb.webp)
