De toegangspoort tot de gildekamer van het Amsterdamse chirurgijnsgilde

In the 17th and 18th centuries the entrance to the guild chamber of the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons was located in the right corner-tower of the Waag on the Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam. The surgeons entered their guild chamber through this door for guild meetings or to take surgical exams. The entrance also gave access to the anatomy theatre, the ‘Theatrum Anatomicum’, where anatomical dissections – anatomy lessons – took place. There was a bust of Hippocrates in the facade above the door, and the inscription ‘Theatrum Anatomicum’. The series of ‘anatomy lessons’ reminds us of the famous paintings that were commissioned by the Surgeons’ Guild. At the beginning of the 17th century, a skeleton was painted on the door in the gateway, and this marked the entrance to the Surgeons’ Guild for almost 200 years. We examined, from a historical perspective, how the gateway to the guild chamber of the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons was transformed over time.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.