Orthopaedic portrayals in The Seven Works of Mercy painted by a Dutch master in the year 1504

The Seven Works of Mercy by the Master of Alkmaar is a mirror of society in the early sixteenth century, in which a number of depicted orthopaedic conditions were identified. While artistic interpretation must be considered, several physical deformities and disabilities are reproduced with remarkable detail. The artist captured in this masterpiece, a gallery of orthopaedic pathologies common in his time.