Illustratie voor de titelpagina van het boek 'Meditationes in magni Hippocratis' 1670 - 1672

This etching, crafted by Willem ten Rhijne, likely served as the title page for 'Meditationes in magni Hippocratis'. Immediately, we are struck by the stark contrast and precise linearity of the engraving, rendered in delicate lines and cross-hatching. The composition features an elder, presumably Hippocrates, seated and gazing up at a statue of a youthful figure holding a serpent, a symbol of medicine. The figure's muscular physique and the serpent's intertwined form create a dynamic visual tension. The artist's careful delineation of form and texture, from the folds of the elder's robe to the statue's anatomy, speaks to a formal approach. The very act of representing Hippocrates in contemplation invites us to consider the relationship between observation and knowledge, a theme central to medical and philosophical inquiry during the 17th century. The etching's formal structure is not merely decorative; it actively participates in the discourse it seeks to frame, inviting us to meditate on the nature of medicine and knowledge itself.