The Astronomer (painting)

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The Astronomer is a painting finished about 1668 by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. It is oil on canvas, 51cm x 45 cm, and is on display at the Louvre, Paris<ref name="louvre">L'Astronome ou plutôt L'Astrologue (French). Atlas: the database of the exhibited works of art. Musée du Louvre. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.</ref>.

Portrayals of scientists were a favourite topic in 17th century Dutch painting<ref name="louvre" /> and Vermeer's oeuvre includes both this astronomer and the slightly later The Geographer. Both are believed to portray the same man<ref name="viewdeelft">Bailey, Anthony (2001). Vermeer: A View of Delft, 165-170. ISBN 0805069305.</ref><ref name="vermeer">Bailey, Martin (1995). Vermeer, 102-104.</ref><ref name="worldvermeer">van Berkel, Klaas. “Vermeer and the Representation of Science”, The Scholarly World of Vermeer, 13-14. ISBN 9040098255.</ref>.

The astronomer's profession is shown by the celestial globe (version by Jodocus Hondius) and the book on the table, Metius's Institutiones Astronomicae Geographicae<ref name="viewdeelft" /><ref name="vermeer" /><ref name="worldvermeer" />. Symbolically, the volume is open to Book III, a section advising the astronomer to seek "inspiration from God" and the painting on the wall shows the finding of Moses – Moses may represent knowledge and science ("learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians"<ref>Acts 7:22</ref>).