Details
Width: 33cms (13 inches)
Height: 41cms (16inches)
Price: £950
A pleasing portrait of a country doctor sitting in a garden in his blue frock coat with his top hat and cane to one side. He is holding a book, presumably a medical tome, in his hand. The symbolism of his profession surrounds him. The plinth of the bust carries the Rod of Asclepius which is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicine. The bust itself is of Hippocrates, known as the “Father of Medicine “who laid the foundations of scientific medicine by freeing medical study from the constraints of philosophical speculation and superstition. Growing to the fore are hollyhocks, which have an ancient pedigree for healing, and foxgloves. In medieval gardens dedicated to Mother Mary, foxglove was called “Our Lady’s Gloves”. The scientific name is digitalis, a reference to the presence of powerful chemicals that can heal heart conditions if taken correctly. Oil on canvas. English, circa 1820.
Ref: Paintings 38