18th C. Flemish Medical Genre Oil on Canvas, the Urine Tester

By the late Middle Ages, the study of urine had solidified into the practice known as uroscopy. Medieval doctors associated nearly every known disease with urinary characteristics, and some would diagnose patients without even meeting them just by examining a bottle of their urine.

Uroscopy was commonplace, and it shows up in Shakespeare's writings. In Henry IV, when Falstaff asks, "What says the doctor to my water?" He's not just asking about his urinary health; because urine was so central to medicine at that time, he was effectively asking for the results of his entire checkup.

Although many uroscopy tests done in those times have been discredited, certain tests are still done today because they accurately indicate health problems, said Eric Wallen, a professor of urology at the University of North Carolina. "Malodorous urine is accurately classified as infected, red urine still notable for the presence of blood, [and] brown urine for bilirubin or blood products," Wallen said.

"But it would be a rare physician today who [only] utilized this form of analysis," Wallen said, and it would be especially rare to find one still "tasting the urine to diagnose diabetes."

ARTIST: Flemish Artist 17th/18th Century

TITLE: The Urine Tester

SIZE: 20” x 23 ½” Outside frame dimensions 31" x 35"

MEDIUM/ SURFACE/ PERIOD: Oil on canvas, c. 1700

SIGNED: (inconclusively, on book, lower center)

LABELS:

INSCRIPTIONS:

CONDITION: Excellent

RESTORATION: The painting retains an antique canvas lining. It was removed from stretchers and placed on a heat table for flattening. The old lining has held up and was not removed. No in-paint was required although there are several small areas that have probably had some attention in the past, totaling perhaps 1-2% of the total area of the painting.

FRAME: An elaborate gilt gesso over carved wood frame displaying an inner beaded border to a highly projecting cylinder molding with relief floral and ribbon decoration at the corners, then dropping back to a panel of openwork foliate decoration and protruding foliate-carved corners.

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