The Tooth Drawer – Antique Engraving after Gerrit Dou, 181

Finely detailed antique engraving entitled The Tooth Drawer, depicting an early dental examination in a modest domestic interior. A seated man leans apprehensively backwards while the tooth drawer probes his open mouth with a finger, as an elderly woman watches closely from behind. Bottles, bowls, bundled plants and other household remedies fill the window ledge, adding to the fascinating period detail.

The composition is after a painting attributed to the celebrated Dutch artist Gerrit Dou (1613–1675), a pupil of Rembrandt renowned for his meticulously rendered interior scenes. Framed by a deeply shadowed arched window and partially drawn curtain, the scene exemplifies the dramatic lighting and carefully observed everyday detail associated with Dou and the Leiden school of painting.

Engraved by Isaac Taylor (1759–1829) and published in London by William Miller in 1811 as a plate from The British Gallery. An evocative image from the history of dentistry and medicine, particularly appealing to collectors of medical prints, Dutch genre scenes and historical depictions of dental practice. The British Museum holds another impression of this engraving. British Museum collection record

Inscriptions beneath the image:

G. Douw pinxit.
I. Taylor sculpt.
THE TOOTH DRAWER.

Technique and date: Etching and engraving on paper, 1811.

Dimensions (full sheet): 24 x 29.5 cm