Man in a blue robe at a table by a window, reaching toward a globe covered in painted figures

The Astronomer

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What you see

A long-haired scholar in a loose blue-green robe leans over a table by the window on the left. One hand reaches for a globe covered in painted figures; the other rests beside an open book. The table is draped with a tapestry of blue and gold flowers, gathered in deep folds. His gaze, his arm and the light all meet at the globe.

Light comes through the leaded window and settles on his face, his hand and the globe; the room darkens toward the right. Watch for the small colored glass panel in the window, the circular diagram hanging on the cabinet, the books on top of it and the framed painting on the back wall.

About Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer lived his whole life in Delft and painted very slowly: only about 35 of his works are known. He loved the soft light that comes through a window and falls on quiet scenes of daily life. He used very expensive pigments, such as ultramarine blue made from a precious stone.

All 10 works by Johannes Vermeer