The Cupper (Kopster)
Cornelis Dusart · 1695 · Art Institute of Chicago
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From the museum
A wince-inducing, humorously sexualized take on now outdated medical practices, Cornelis Dusart’s etching shows a woman undergoing minor surgery. Possibly to alleviate a female complaint, heated glass cups are applied to her feet. These raise blood-filled boils, which the attendant then lances and purges of bad blood. The appended verses and the bill of fare hanging on the mantelpiece both mention clystering as a subsequent treatment option: the upward diagonal angle of the clyster (an enema or douche) in the male attendant’s belt lends credence to the implication that the treatment doubled as an ersatz form of sexual congress.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Details
- Maker
- Cornelis Dusart, Dutch, 1660-1704
- Date
- 1695
- Medium
- Etching on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 22.3 × 17 cm (8 13/16 × 6 3/4 in.); Platemark: 25.7 × 17.6 cm (10 1/8 × 6 15/16 in.); Sheet: 26.3 × 18.1 cm (10 3/8 × 7 3/16 in.)
- Place of origin
- Holland
- Held by
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · Not on view
- Credit line
- The Wallace L. DeWolf and Joseph Brooks Fair Collections
Image: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0
