Satire on Physicians 1709

Jean-Antoine Watteau created this satirical piece on physicians using oil on canvas. Notice the central figure, adorned in elaborate red robes and a fur-trimmed hat, a caricature of a physician, clutching a peculiar basin. This mockery of the medical profession echoes through the ages; even in Molière's plays, we see doctors parodied as pompous and ineffective. The physician’s exaggerated attire and gestures, far from healing, become symbols of vanity and ignorance. We are reminded of the ancient tradition of the scapegoat, where society’s ills are projected onto a single figure, ritually purged to restore balance. Observe how the artist juxtaposes the grand costume of the figure with the action of bloodletting, carried out by an assistant. Watteau is invoking a collective memory of healing practices that could be as dangerous as the diseases they sought to cure. Thus, this satire becomes a mirror, reflecting our enduring ambivalence toward those who claim to heal us.