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This painting shows William Cheselden, a leading English surgeon in the reign of George II. He is portrayed in an anatomy theatre, demonstrating privately to a group of his colleagues or interested gentlemen. William Cheselden was a member of the Barber-Surgeon's company, which was based in London near the Barbican. Their building included an anatomy theatre designed by Inigo Jones, which was constructed in 1636 and demolished in 1784. This was probably the theatre in which Cheselden is depicted in this painting. Cheselden was among those who concluded that the guild of surgeons and the company of barbers (which had been united by Henry VIII) should separate. The group that seceded in 1745 became known as the Company of Surgeons. They built a new hall (called Surgeons' Hall) in Old Bailey, which, at Cheselden's stipulation, included a new anatomy theatre.
This painting formerly belonged to the Swedish collector Erik Waller (1875–1955), founder of the Bibliotheca Walleriana at Uppsala University Library.
Title
William Cheselden Giving an Anatomical Demonstration
Date
c.1730–1740
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 79.7 x W 60.5 cm
Accession number
47339i
Acquisition method
purchased by Henry S. Wellcome, c.1900–1936
Work type
Painting