Nina Siegal's The Anatomy Lesson is an ambitious, inventive and sometimes uneven novel that imagines the lives of the figures in Rembrandt's group portrait of the same name--his first major commission. It is historical fiction steeped in impeccable research and intimate knowledge of Amsterdam at the height of its artistic vitality.
The story is told from the alternating points of view of its many characters over the course of a single day. It begins with Aris, a one-handed coat thief whose public hanging is the trigger for a series of events leading to the dissection of his corpse in an anatomy lesson conducted by Amsterdam's official City Anatomist, Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. Through it all, a young Rembrandt plans, then paints his portrait of the dissection, struggling to reconcile his artistic and humanist vision with the requirements of his commission. Joining them are Aris's lover Flora, who is pregnant with his child, René Descartes, who believes anatomy will help him find the physical location of the human soul and the bodily manifestation of its corruption, and the curio dealer who must procure and deliver the body to Dr. Tulp.
Additionally, Pia, a contemporary art conservator, adds her observations about the painting in short chapters that punctuate the historical story. She notes discrepancies in the rendering of the exposed left forearm, leading to an important discovery about the painting that, in turn, foreshadows a turning point in Rembrandt's artistic journey.
This structure can make the novel feel disjointed, but it adds layers of rich period detail and perspective. Siegal is especially effective in conveying the murky intersection of science, religion and morality in a rapidly changing city. She is an acute observer of art and of human nature. Her portrayal of Aris as a man who reacts to the cruelties of his life by becoming a vagabond coat thief is wonderful and persuasive. She succeeds fully in making us appreciate the accomplishment of a single work of art from many points of view, though other chapters, such as those relating Descartes' musings or Dr. Tulp's lectures, can seem overburdened by the weight of her research.
If The Anatomy Lesson wears its knowledge a little too self-consciously, its structural ambition sometimes met at the expense of narrative momentum, it is nevertheless a thought-provoking and richly populated novel by a talented new voice. --Jeanette Zwart
Shelf Talker: This impeccably researched novel of the Dutch Golden Age and the story behind Rembrandt's first major painting will appeal to readers of historical fiction and art history.