The Physician
by DOU, Gerrit, Oil on oak, 49,3 x 37 cm
This picture is a high point of ‘fine painting’. It was painted so evocatively that it seems real. The painted, arched window framing the depiction and the relief underneath it seem to be made of stone and this illusion is strengthened by the tip of the rug which hangs over the relief. Moreover, the curtain hanging in the niche has been pushed to the side as though to unveil the scene These are tricks that Gerrit Dou used to give the illusion of three-dimensionality.