Astronomer ~ 1668

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Astronomer_(Vermeer)

. . . . In ‘The Astronomer’ a large astrolabe, which also measures angles of altitude in the heavens, rets against the celestial globe on the cabinet is a chart that is thought to be a celestial planisphere, and on the table in front of the astronomer is a book open to an illustration of the cartwheel astrolabe, which was invented by the author, Adrian Metius. As explained by Welu, Metius’s basic text on astronomy and geography (Institutiones Astronomicae, Geographicae, Amsterdama 1621) offered ‘short and clear instruction for the art of navigation’ (according to Metius himself) and is open to the first two pages of Book III, ‘On the Investigation or Observation of the Stars.’

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Dinesh ^club

There is every reason to suppose that the superb picture in Frankfurt and ‘The Astronomer’ in Paris were painted as pendants. Technical evidence published in 1997 (see Peter Waldeis i Frankfurt 1997) demonstrates that the paintings are the same size and that their inscriptions, including both signatures on the Frankfurt canvas, are original. As is not uncommon in pendant pictures, the works are dated one year apart: The ‘Astronomer’ is inscribed 1668 and the ‘Geographer’ 1669. The canvas bearing the later date was clearly meant to hang on the left, as reproduced here (which requires slight departure from chronological order in our catalogue numbers). In Vermeer’s day, however, the paintings would have bung some distance apart.

5 months ago.

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Astronomer ~ 1668

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