Tandarts 1659 - 1681

"Tandarts" ("Dentist") is a 17th-century etching by Jan van der Bruggen, a Dutch artist born in 1649. The artwork depicts a dentist pulling a tooth from a patient. The detail of the tools, bottles, and jars on the table give insight into the practices of 17th-century dentistry. The piece has elements of genre art, with the focus on the everyday, and a humorous tone is evident in the patient's facial expression and the dentist's confident smirk. Van der Bruggen's use of etching allows for the creation of a sense of depth and texture.