Consult of the doctors on the grave illness of the Grand Sultan (Consult vande medicijnen inde swaere siekte vanden grooten Sultaen)
An etched allegory of the Ottoman defeat at Vienna: a sick sultan lies in a canopied bed while nine 'doctors', each labelled as a state (Lorraine, Bavaria, Spain, Venice, Poland, Brandenburg, the Empire, Muscovy, Saxony), prescribe a remedy in Dutch and French. The Koran lies as toilet paper beside the royal commode, and the stack of allied physicians stands for a united Christian front.
- Date
- 1683
- Period
- Pre-1914
- Made by
- Philibert Bouttats II, engraver and publisher, Antwerp
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- Spanish Netherlands
- Medium
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Spanish Netherlands
- Leader
- Ottone Enrico Del Caretto
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Commemorate
- Themes
- War and the military, Religion
- Event
- Siege of Vienna 1683
- Techniques
- TransferBandwagon
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Rijksmuseum, retrieved September 29, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (printed 1683; Rijksmuseum data marks CC0 1.0)
Philibert Bouttats II, Consult vande medicijnen inde swaere siekte vanden grooten Sultaen, Antwerp, 1683; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, RP-P-2004-381
Text on the object
Consult vande medicijnen inde swaere siekte vanden grooten Sultaen, ende remedie van hem haest te genesen. Aduis des medecins pour la grande maladie du grand Sultan et les remedes de le guerrir bien tôt. den grooten Sultan aen Primo Vizir helaes Visir, ick kom heel uyt mijn schelpen raeken, ick ben soo krank, dat ick geen testament kan maeken, geeft Cesar, dat hem komt, ick geef u dese wet maer strijdt voor 't heylig Ryck altijdt van Mahomet le grand Sultan au premier Visir ie suis au desespoir, Visir ie ne puis faire, mon dernier testament, la mort me fait la guerre donnez Cesar ses biens, car mon dernier souhait veut, que vous defendez la loi de Mahomet [left scroll:] Deez' siekte is mij van Weenen voort gekome[n] en heeft uijt hoogmoet' quaedt haer loop genome[n] cete fieure me vient de Vienne, et ie le sens, que me causent ce mal les humeurs allemand [right scroll:] Medecijn van Piemont mits hij soo brandig is in sijne dermen soo hoeft hem Ciprus wol niet te verwerme[n] s'la chaleur des reins lui fait si grande peine il ne faut plus que Cipre a lui fournit sa laine [on the commode:] Konninck lijcke Stoel. Siege Royal. [on the book:] ALCORAN bequaem voor het gepasseerde, propre pour le passé. Tulbant vanden Grooten Heer. Turbant du grand Seigneur. Primo Visir. nu ick niet meerder kan mijn kranke meester by staen, ist beter, dat ick vlucht, en laet de buy voor by gaen. Premier Visir puisque de tous cotez le malheur me menace, il me faut m'en sauver, et chercher le bonace. Teckli ick spin van d'auont tot den Morgen het gaere, dat hem sal verworgen Teckli ie file du matin iusques au soir le licol fatal pour son desespoir. Phi: Bouttats junior excudit Antverpiae. 1. Medecijn van Loreyne hem past een spoudrank, of wij konne niet bekome de landen die hy ons onwettig heeft ontnomen 1. Medecin de Loraine. i'ordonne un vomitif pour le faire nous rendre tout ce, qu'il a mal pris dans l'état de mon Gendre 2. Medecijn van Beijere och! wat een quade tong, en hoe ontsteken, door een purgatie sal hy beter spreken. 2. Medecin de Bauieres ah! que mauuaise langue! ah! comme est enflammee pour la rendre mellieure elle sera purgée. 3. Spaenschen Medecijn tot heeling van dees pestilentie, dient het vier van mijn inventie. 3. Medecin Spagnol, pour appaiser le feu de cete infection, qu'on lui donne le feu de mon inuention. 4. Venetiaensche Medecijn och! och! sijn waeter is te seer ontvonken want heeft in Candia te veel gedronken. 4. Medecin de Venise ah! s'il n'avoit trop beu en candie du vin, son eau seroit moins chaude et son esprit plus fin. 5. Medicijn van Polen stael, stael, want tarters, noch rebarber sal hem baeten 'k heb hem ten buijt gedoemt van ons soldaeten. 5. Medecin de Pologne les armes, armes sont pour le barbare, mais point le rebarber, ni le Tartare. 6. Medecijn van Berlijn mijn brandebourger leg ick hem op 't lijf, want d'arme duijvel is van koud schier stijf 6. Medecin de Berlin. ie mets mon brandebourg sur mon Pauure Ennemi, car ie vois que son corps est desia refroidi. 7. Hoogduijtsen Medecijn nu de klisteri heeft sijn Poort ontsloten, wordt met min moeijt sijn bloedt vergoten 7. Medecin Allemand. le Clistere a ouuert de son Corps le passage ie tirerai son sang pour nourrir mon courage. [small, above 8:] tegen den visir 8. Medecijn van Moscouien met mijnen Recipe van hondert duijsent sielen krijgt hij de doodt in 't lijf, de korts gij in uw hielen. 8. Medecin de Moscouie mon recipe de cent mille braues soldats met le visir en fuite, et son Maitre au trepas. 9. Medecijn van Saexen het is met hem geheel verbruijdt, de ziel vliegt hem ten neirsgat uyt. 9. Medecin de Saxe, il est perdu, il est perdu son ame fiere se prepare a' passer par la porte derriere.
Consultation of the doctors on the grave illness of the Grand Sultan, and the remedy to cure him quickly. Advice of the doctors on the great sickness of the Grand Sultan and the remedies to cure him soon. The Grand Sultan to the Prime Vizier: Alas, Vizier, I am quite losing my wits; I am so sick that I cannot make a testament. Give Caesar what is due to him; I give you this law: but always fight for the holy realm of Mahomet. [French: the same, with 'I am in despair, Vizier, I cannot draw up my last testament, death makes war on me; give Caesar his goods, for my last wish is that you defend the law of Mahomet'.] [left scroll:] This sickness came to me from Vienna and has taken its course out of arrogance / evil. [French:] this fever comes to me from Vienna, and I feel it, the German humours cause me this illness. [right scroll:] Doctor of Piedmont: since he is so inflamed in his bowels, Cyprus (wine) need not warm him. [French:] if the heat of the kidneys gives him such pain, all that is needed is for Cyprus to supply its wool [wine]. [on the commode:] Royal seat. Royal seat. [on the book:] ALCORAN: suited to the past. Turban of the Grand Lord. Turban of the Grand Seigneur. Prime Vizier: Since I can no longer stand by my sick master, it is better that I flee and let the squall pass by. [French:] since misfortune threatens me on all sides, I must save myself and look for calm. Teckli: I spin the yarn from evening to morning that will strangle him. [French:] I spin from morning until evening the fatal noose for his despair. Philibert Bouttats junior published it at Antwerp. 1. Doctor of Lorraine: A vomit-draught suits him, or we cannot get back the lands he has wrongfully taken from us. [French:] I prescribe an emetic to make him give back all he wrongly took in the state of my son-in-law. 2. Doctor of Bavaria: Oh what an evil tongue, and how inflamed; through a purge he will speak better. [French:] ah, what a bad tongue, how inflamed; to make it better it will be purged. 3. Spanish doctor: To cure this pestilence, the fire of my invention serves. [French:] to quiet the fire of this infection, let him be given the fire of my invention. 4. Venetian doctor: Oh, oh, his water is too inflamed, for he drank too much in Candia. [French:] ah, if he had not drunk so much wine in Candia, his water would be less hot and his wit finer. 5. Doctor of Poland: Steel, steel, for neither Tartars nor rhubarb will help him; I have condemned him to be plunder for our soldiers. [French:] arms, arms are for the barbarian, but not rhubarb, nor the Tartar. 6. Doctor of Berlin: I lay my Brandenburger on his body, for the poor devil is almost stiff with cold. [French:] I put my Brandenburg on my poor enemy, for I see his body is already cold. 7. High-German doctor: Now that the clyster has opened its gate, his blood is shed with little effort. [French:] the clyster has opened the passage of his body; I will draw his blood to nourish my courage. [small, above 8:] against the vizier 8. Doctor of Muscovy: With my prescription of a hundred thousand souls he gets death in his body, [and] you the cramps in your heels. [French:] my prescription of a hundred thousand brave soldiers puts the vizier to flight and his Master to death. 9. Doctor of Saxony: It is all over with him, his soul flies out of his rear. [French:] he is lost, he is lost, his proud soul prepares to pass through the back door.
Read from a 3000 px scan of the Rijksmuseum image. The two speech scrolls are cut off at their curled edges, so the last letters of some words are missing (marked [ ]); a few Dutch readings ('de korts gij in uw hielen', 'onwettig heeft ontnomen', 'ter neirsgat') are uncertain, and the translations of the puns (Cipre / Cyprus wine and wool, rebarber / rhubarb and barbarian) are approximate. The tiny numerals and the fool's and imp's banners carry no further text.







