Rembrandt's 'Beggar with a wooden leg' and other comparable prints.
Rembrandt's etching of a beggar with a wooden leg is notable because the two lower limbs of the presumed beggar are present and not deformed. Using the facilities of four specialised Dutch art institutes, we carried out a systematic investigation to find other etchings and engravings of subjects with artificial legs supporting non-amputated limbs, from the period 1500 to 1700 AD. We discovered 28 prints produced by at least 18 artists. Several offered clues to a disorder of a knee, the lower leg or the foot. All individuals were adult males, suggesting the probability of traumatic lesions. We conclude that in this period artificial legs were not only used in the case of absence of part of a lower limb, but also for other reasons, notably disorders of the knee, lower leg or foot. They may also have been used to attract compassion.
ten Kate
J J
JJ
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1117, PO Box 7075, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jennekens
F G I
FG
Vos-Niël
J M E
JM
D000674:Amputees / Q000266:history*; D001186:Artificial Limbs / Q000266:history*; D004645:Empathy; D004741:Engraving and Engravings / Q000266:history*; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D008512:Medicine in the Arts