Italian School, 17th Century

This painting derives from a celebrated print by Lucas van Leyden (Leiden c. 1494-1533) entitled The Dentist, which is dated 1523 (see The Illustrated Bartsch, XII, Hans Baldung Grein, Hans Springinklee, Lucas Van Leyden New York, 1981, p. 291, no. 157). The inscription, which is absent from the print, translates 'The world is round, those who cannot float sink to the bottom'.
Other paintings based on the Lucas van Leyden print include a painting in the Kunsthalle, Bremen by Jan Liss (Oldenburg c. 1595-1600 Verona) and an anonymous copy in the Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest.