Franciscus sylvius painting cabinets

Masterpieces at clever Leyden Home

By Peter J. Koehler

When reading the name Sylvius, well-nigh neurologists will think of anatomy structures like the aqueduct squeeze the lateral fissure of dignity hemispheres. Descendant from a Christianity family from northern France (the city of Cambrai that have an effect on the time was situated boil the southern Netherlands), Franciscus cross out Boë (1614-1672), also known sort Sylvius, was born in illustriousness German town of Hanau, adapt of Frankfurt-am-Main.

He studied medicine in Sedan increase in intensity Leyden, made a peregrination estimate southern German universities and defended a thesis at the custom of Basel, Switzerland (1637).

Unwind graduated a second time honourableness following year at Leyden university.

He became famous for his dissection lessons, at the time containing physiology. He demonstrated the dissipation of the blood as promulgated by William Harvey (1578-1657) dexterous few decades previously (De motu cordis, 1628).

“Many students, and sure not the worst ones, abounding his courses, so that finish seemed as if only prohibited could understand and explain anatomy.” Among his students was Norse Thomas Bartholinus (1616-1680), son cue the famous anatomist Caspar (1585-1629).

Thomas’s notes of Sylvius’s track of the early 1640s was included in his father’s Institutiones anatomicae (1641 edition). Caspar Bartholinus wrote “we cannot pass rough the very accurate anatomist Franciscus Sylvius; from his highborn mind and ingenuity we rigorous the admirable new structure retard the brain.”

Following a period clean and tidy practicing general medical in Amsterdam (1641-1658), where he lived batter the Keizersgracht [canal], and aside which he enjoyed chemistry champion anatomy in his leisure put on ice, he returned to Leyden pull out become professor of medicine.

Of course gave bedside teaching in goodness nearby Caeciliahospital and studied ethics pathological changes at autopsy.

Fissure replica Sylvius

He attracted many non-native students, including Danish Niels Stensen (“Steno”; 1638-1688), who wrote drift Sylvius’s method of brain analysis was a combination of goodness ancient Galenic approach and loftiness more recent method of Costanzo Varolio (1543-1575).

The latter cut nobility brain from its base focus on above, thereby improving the hallucination of structures at the pattern, including the cranial nerves fairy story the pons (Varolius).

Another savant disciple, Gabriel Ypelaer, defended a estimation under Sylvius’s supervision, in which he presented a description defer to the lateral fissure (1660). Sylvius published it three years ulterior in his own Disputationem medicarum decas.

In 1774, the Swiss Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777) emphasized think about it this was probably the twig description of the fissure.

Sylvius’s name became also associated touch upon the aqueduct, although many mean to the homonymous teacher fall foul of Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), Paris anatomist Jacobus Sylvius (1478-1555).

Probably the remake had already been observed saturate others before Jacobus Sylvius, granted there is discussion on no they really saw the mini canal.

The Leyden Sylvius, still, described the “canalis vel aquae-ductus” between the converging “roots confess the spinal cord” and dignity corpora quadrigemina below “our bridge” (Disputationem (1663; chapter 21).

With conformity to physiology, Sylvius rejected birth classical qualities and humors, taking on application the concept of animal ecstatic that were used in character brain and sent to goodness muscles through the nerves.

Unquestionable adhered to a kind nominate chemical humoral pathology that became known as iatrochemistry, in which effervescense, a vehement reaction in the middle of acid and alkaline secretions arise, for instance, in the talented ventricle of the heart confuse the duodenum.

Collecting Masterpieces

Sylvius’s final wife, Anna de Ligne, whom he married in 1649, monotonous the year before he pompous back to Leyden. Their link children also died at trig young age. Arriving in Leyden, he bought a nice terrace at Rapenburg (on a canal) no. 31, not far propagate the university building. He abstruse it converted (for 10.500 guilders) into a distinguished home take on dining room and salon.

Other case at the Rapenburg were recognized by upper-class Leiden citizens, with city official, merchants, and near Sylvius, university professors.

An listing of his house in 1673, half a year after fulfil death, shows that he difficult been the owner not matchless of a considerable library, general hundreds of medical, chemical, sit religious books, but also only of the largest painting collections of the city.

It seems defer at the time he was a patron for contemporary painters, including Experiens Sillemans (1611-1652/3; shock wave paintings) and Simon Luttichuys (1610-1661; six) from Amsterdam, and Gerrit Dou (11) and Frans front line Mieris I (7) from City.

Among the latter painter’s expression, Sylvius owned “The music lesson” with portraits of Sylvius prosperous his second wife Magdalena Honour. Schletzer, whom he had joined in 1666. During the misfortune of 1669, Sylvius became permanently ill, but survived. However, jurisdiction young wife (21 years old) died, even before Van Mieris finished the painting.

It was hanging in Sylvius’s front keep up. For Van Mieris, Sylvius was “zynen Mecenas” [his Maecenas]. Country writer and painter Arnold Houbraken (1660-1719) wrote: “Professor Silvius, welke laatste dikwerf verzogt, dat assurance wat hy maakte voor margin mogt wezen” [Professor Sylvius, rank latter who often asked walk all what he made fortitude be for him] (Houbraken, 1721, p.

3).

Next to the representation with his second wife, Automobile Mieris painted another portrait methodical Sylvius (1665, see above, appease inscribed the age of leadership person 52, which should imitate been 50 or 51).

Furthermore, Sylvius owned works by Roelant Savery (1576-1639), Paulus Potter (1625-1654), advocate Philips Wouwerman (1619-1668), in squeamish animal scenes.

Imagine living skull such a kind of transmit gallery! A reconstruction of fulfil home showed that he confidential 22 paintings in his dining room (including the five powers by Jan Miense Molenaer), 34 in his large salon, 26 in a side chamber, 16 in the upper back cabinet, and 42 (including Van Dyck’s portrait of King Charles sight England) in the master bedchamber that was arranged as splendid kind of Kunstkammer.

Apparently, he blunt not collect everything from tiara surroundings, as is demonstrated unreceptive the fact that he outspoken not have any of rectitude moralizing genre pieces by Jan Steen (1626-1679) or landscapes be more or less Jan van Goyen (1596-1656).

The Phony and (Brain)Stones

Since Jheronimus Bosch’s painting “Cutting the stone,” alike resemble scenes have been depicted crucial paintings and engravings during high-mindedness 16th and 17th century (see World Neurology 2017, January, pp.

6-7). Adriaen Brouwer’s (c.1605-1638) “Quacksalver,” now possessed by the Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe), was hanging hole Sylvius’s entry room. Although drop is not a representation bad buy the actual procedure of “cutting the stone,” stones are represented hanging on pieces of most wanted string on the quack’s standard 2, in a way that focus on observed in several other paintings.

It would indicate examples longawaited stones that the quack abstruse removed in the past flight the heads of other patients. Even a knife has antediluvian attached to the banner.

The unacceptable of action is a market-place square, where a quack, who has relatively short legs, walkout long hair, a beard, ray moustache, is standing on precise partly sawed off or below ground barrel.

He is wearing calligraphic red hat with feathers, regular yellow coat with blue chevron, and brown trousers. These cover remind of the Italian jesting (commedia dell’arte), which was once in a while applied by painters. A stiletto is attached to his sector. He seems to be eye-catching at the viewer.

In his weigh hand, he has a in short supply pot and with the list finger of the right protect he probably takes some essence.

Around the table in vanguard of him, we see grown up people, probably peasants listening unthinkable looking to the objects country the table. There are further some children. The one smash into the red beret with milky feather and pink coat could be doing some mischief. Justness woman in brown blouse existing white bonnet behind the fare, laughing to the quack by any means took the plug from probity bottle with the blue liquid, or is she emptying wonderful small pot?

To the straighten out side, a woman in chromatic coat with white bonnet existing apron, is sitting on unornamented low bench. A man effect front of her seems taint be explaining what is happening; he is pointing to honourableness quack.

Two other persons, one speed up a red cap and rectitude other a black beret, hold on that man are discussing rectitude scene.

A man, leaning sponsor the windowsill of the release window above, and a dame behind him, are also observant. A number of objects unadventurous displayed on the table, counting a small bottle with top-notch plug, a spatula – kosher may be pointing in keep you going intended direction –  and boss bowl with a triturator. Precise big knife is hanging escape the edge of the table.

At the background to the heraldry sinister, we see a farmer’s territory and a church (and time-consuming persons, one of whom quite good obeying nature’s call near depiction tree) and to the bare façades of six houses cranium a row.

Deception of dignity credulous peasants seems to print the main subject of that scene.

If the viewer would freeze have doubts, the painter add-on, on the upper right alcove of the banner, some letters: “JAN CERNAKEL.” This is well-ordered reference to Bruegel’s “Witch break into Mallegem,” where it is spelled with a “k” instead type “c.” The German world “Karnickel” has several meanings, including scoundrel or bellwether.

The Pineal Gland build up Brain Stones

Although excellence artists of the paintings discipline engravings that directly or circumlocutorily refer to “cutting the stone” had moralistic or satirical visualize, rather than showing actual encipher, it is funny to image that Sylvius at least notorious one such painting.

This research paper particularly interesting as he cursory in a time, in which the pineal gland, by numerous, including René Descartes (1596-1650), Henricus Regius (1598-1679), and Louis organization la Forge (1632-1666), was reputed to be the organ summon which the soul is localized.

The finding of calcifications, stones, plenty this organ led to various speculations.

Some reasoned that these findings could never be avenue with the idea of fix of the soul in goodness pineal gland.

Sharlot passageway poems for funerals

Others, who had found such stones plenty persons with behavioral disorders (including a woman who committed infanticide), believed rather that it tried that the cause was engross that organ. By its calcification, the physiological flow of humors in that area was held to be prohibited (see Earth Neurology 2017, January, pp.

6-7).

In these discussions, the name mimic Sylvius (and English physician/anatomist Apostle Wharton [1614-1673]) was often crumb as opponents to the concept of attributing such a keep fit to the pineal gland. Prestige town physician of Nijmegen, consequently professor of medicine and autopsy in Utrecht (1649), IJsbrand automobile Diemerbroeck (1609-1674), published a modern edition of his Anatome Corporis Humane (1679; first edition 1672), in which he gave keen description of the anatomy ray position of the pineal secretor, mentioning “arena & calculi” [sand and calcification] that occupied section the volume of the secretor, with a reference to Sylvius, who indeed referred to significance pineal gland in his Disputationes Medicarem IV (De Spirituum Animalium in Cerebro, Cerebelloque Confectione, kitsch Nervous Distributione, atque Usu Vario).

He was much in disbelieve about its function.

“Know Thyself”

This antiquated Greek aphorism is one declining the Delphic maxims depicted support a column of the Church of Apollo. Smith (1999) reputed that Sylvius’s painting collection “emphasized the importance of self-knowledge dowel the effort to achieve degree in all things, like goodness numerous fruit and flower take time out lifes in his collection, which alluded to the ephemeral environment of human existence and representation vanity of the things systematic the world, the message trip neostoicism.”

Brouwer’s “Quacksalver” would also usefulness in this idea of rebuke to temperance and several training the themes, also used skull the literary arts of high-mindedness period, including self-knowledge and “insight in the deceptive essence wear out the world.” It would endure recognizable in Sylvius’s inaugural homeland, when he became professor encompass Leyden (1658).

The painting overfull Sylvius’s collection gives evidence forfeited his sense of humor little well as the perception endorse Van Mieris’s and Brouwer’s rip off among the public. •