Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love by Julie Sedivy

 

"The painting is titled The Anatomy Lessons of Dr. Nicolas Tulp...the presiding Dr. Tulp, with immense composure and dignity, has peeled back the skin on the arm of the corpse, revealing its muscle, tendons, and bone. A ring of men, all in black coats and white starched collars, stand on the periphery and dissolve into shadows; several of them lean far into the light, their faces transfixed by the body displayed before them."