To document an image of something in the seventeenth century, the only way to do it was by hand. David Teniers the Younger created “Parma the Physician” as a recreation of Titian’s Portrait of the Physician Gian Giacomo Bartolotti da Parma. In addition to this painting Teniers’ also painted two-hundred-and-forty-three other recreations of some of the most valuable paintings from the collection of Hapsburg Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, cousin of King Philip IV of Spain. Teniers published these paintings together as the first illustrated printed catalogue of a major paintings collection entitled Theatrum Pictorium or the Theatre of Painting.

 

It is notable to mention that Teniers did not copy Titian’s piece exactly. He made the doublet a deep red from Titian’s black, and made the white collar cover part of the subject’s neck. In addition to the changes to his clothes, Teniers also made the subject’s eyes larger, his hair darker and more defined, as well as emphasising the wrinkles and veins in his skin. These changes from Titian’s painting make the subject appear like a kindly old man whereas the original made the subject appear more youthful and stern. Teniers’ own personal mastery as a Flemish artist coupled with the historical significance of  “Parma the Physician” as part of the Theatrum Pictorium is why this painting is a one of a kind treasure that has been cherished for centuries.

 

Annotated Bibliography  for “Parma the Physician”

 

by Melanie Viering