Orthopaedic portrayals in The Seven Works of Mercy painted by a Dutch master in the year 1504.

Abstract

Purpose: We examined The Seven Works of Mercy, painted by the Master of Alkmaar in 1504, through the lens of orthopaedic pathology. This study approaches the panels from a medical perspective, aiming to uncover visual indicators of disease and disability. The findings offer insight into how physical abnormalities were observed and depicted in the early sixteenth century. To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore orthopaedic pathology in the Seven Works of Mercy.

Methods: An interdisciplinary analysis of The Seven Works of Mercy was undertaken, with a focus on the visual representation of illness and physical disabilities. The seven panels were examined to identify physical abnormalities. The findings were compared with clinical features of the suggested illnesses and disabilities and with known medical conditions prevalent in the fifteenth and sixteenth century in Europe.

Results: Several depicted orthopaedic disabilities were suggested in the panels of The Seven Works of Mercy. Possible underlying conditions included clubfeet, spinal tuberculosis (Pott's disease), syphilis, poliomyelitis, ergotism, and genu recurvatum. The physical deformities, depicted with remarkable anatomical detail, were cross-referenced with known clinical presentations. In several cases, assistive devices and posture supported the proposed diagnoses.

Conclusion: The Seven Works of Mercy by the Master of Alkmaar is a mirror of society in the early sixteenth century, in which a number of depicted orthopaedic conditions were identified. While artistic interpretation must be considered, several physical deformities and disabilities are reproduced with remarkable detail. The artist captured in this masterpiece, a gallery of orthopaedic pathologies common in his time.