The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp is a 1632 oil painting on canvas by Rembrandt housed in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. The painting is regarded as one of Rembrandt's early masterpieces. In the work, Dr. Nicolaes Tulp is pictured explaining the musculature of the arm to medical professionals. Some of the spectators are various doctors who paid commissions to be included in the painting. The painting is signed in the top-left hand corner "Rembrandt. f[ecit] 1632". This may be the first instance of Rembrandt signing a painting with
Nicolaes Tulp and changed his name to Nicolaes (a more proper version of the name "Claes") Tulp. He began working in local politics as city treasurer, and in 1622, he became magistrate in Amsterdam. The career of Dr Tulp matched the success of Amsterdam. As the population of Amsterdam grew from 30,000 in 1580 to 210,000 in 1650, Dr Tulp's career as a doctor and politician made him a man of influence. He drove a small carriage to visit all the patients. Thanks to his connections on the city council, in 1628 Tulp was appointed "Praelector Anatomiae" at the Amsterdam Guild of