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A toothdrawer
concealing the key from the patient Oil on canvas, 52 x 38.5 cm, by Luciano Nezzo (1856–1903) Wellcome Collection, London |
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| A surgical operator approaches a young woman to extract a tooth, hiding the dental key behind his back to spare her any fright, an old surgical habit meant to keep patients calm. The painting sets their differences in sharp relief—his age, scruffy clothes and grimy hand against her youth, neat dress and clear skin—while she exposes herself trustingly and he keeps the instrument out of sight. |
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