The artwork depicts a formal group portrait centered around an anatomy lesson. Dr. Nicolaes Tulp sits on the right, wearing a dark wide-brimmed hat and black attire with a white collar, using forceps to lift the tendons of a cadaver’s forearm. Surrounding him are seven curious observers, men dressed in contemporary 17th-century dark clothing with prominent white ruffs or collars, leaning in to witness the demonstration on the pale, recumbent body lying on a table in the foreground.
The composition follows a dramatic chiaroscuro style, typical of the Dutch Golden Age. The scene is set within a dimly lit, shadowy room where the light source is focused sharply on the doctor's hands and the pale flesh of the cadaver. This strong contrast between the deep, murky shadows of the background and the brilliant highlights on the faces and the central subject creates a somber, scholarly, and intense mood.
Technically, this is an oil painting on canvas. The figures are arranged in a triangular, multi-layered formation that pulls the viewer's eye across the group from left to right, ending at the doctor's gesturing hand. A large, open textbook rests in the bottom right corner, partially obscured, adding to the academic nature of the scene. The overall colour palette is muted and earthy, consisting primarily of deep blacks, warm browns, and cool, pale flesh tones.