The Astronomer
The artist
Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter loved for his quiet scenes and beautiful, gentle light.
What you see
A scholar reaches out to touch a globe of the stars, studying the sky in a calm, sunlit room.
The story
Painted around 1668, it shows the excitement of science in Vermeer's time, when people were mapping the heavens.
The style
Vermeer painted soft daylight falling from a window, making the cloth, books, and globe feel real enough to touch.
Look closer
The globe he touches shows real star patterns, and an open book on the table gives instructions for studying the sky.
Where to see it
You can find it at the Louvre Museum in Paris, hanging near its companion picture of a geographer.
Fun fact
This painting and Vermeer's picture of a geographer look like the same man, so they may show one model twice.