Where is vermeer the geographer

Floris Balthasar, a mapmaker, citizen of Delft and member of the Guild of Saint Luke of Delft, would have regarded himself as a cunstwerker in caerten , an artist in mapmaking.

Balthasar pointed out the dual functions of the map. On one hand they could be used for military operations, for architecture, for hydraulic works, for sea trade and for questions of land ownership.

On the other hand, maps could be collected to increase knowledge of the world, insight into history and the joy of learning of God's creation of the world. Terrestrial Globe Jacobus Hondius The initial impetus for developing and manufacturing globes as a commercial enterprise was provided by a desire for geographical information in the period of the great discoveries. Although their decorative function must have been an important concern, in general, globes were constructed with the stated aim of promoting geographical and astronomical studies recording the latest geographical and astronomical information.

Once a globe was made it was complicated and expensive to correct the engraved copper plates in order to print new versions. Thus, while most globes exhibit an up-to-date geographical picture when the plates were first engraved, for years to come they were rarely altered so that the majority of existing globes was out-of-date. In order to commercialize their globes, manufacturers advertised them as scientific aids for navigation, especially in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

Jacob Hondius, the producer of the globes in Vermeer's paintings, gave this as a reason for making globes although seamen rejected them due to the difficulties involved in making accurate measurements around a curved surface.

Nonetheless, the globe became a symbol more than a tool of navigation, and therefore an object desired by Dutch merchants. This side-effect not only stimulated an expansion in globe production, it also made it possible to sell out-of-date globes. Those who purchased globes for their symbolic value were far less concerned about their scientific accuracy than its decorative aspect. At times, globes were sold that were constructed more than a century ago.

Spinoza had a solid grasp of optical theory and of the then-current physics of light, and was competent enough to engage in sophisticated discussion with correspondents over fine points in the mathematics of refraction. We would expect Van Leeuwenhoek was aware of Spinoza's reputation for either for his work with lenses or for and free-thinking heresies which came under fire in the late s. His penchant for geometrical forms has been indirectly linked to the subtitle of Spinoza's Ethics , ordine geometrico demonstrate arrange according to geometric principles.

Vermeer signs and dates The Astronomer, The only other dated painting by Vermeer is the early The Procuress. Some scholars believe that Delft citizen Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, who is by then internationally recognized for his studies in optics and scientific observations, poses for The Astronomer , although portraits of Van Leeuwenhoek bear little resemblance to the seated man in Vermeer's picture.

Philips Wouwerman , a successful Dutch painter, dies. He is the most celebrated member of a family of Dutch painters from Haarlem, where he worked virtually all his life. He becomes a member of the painters' guild in and is said by a contemporary source to be a pupil of Frans Hals. The only thing he has in common with Hals, however, is his nimble brushwork, for he specialized in landscapes of hilly country with horses - cavalry skirmishes, camps, hunts, travelers halting outside an inn, and so on.

In this genre he is immensely prolific. Sir Isaac Newton invents the reflecting telescope, building the first telescope based on a mirror reflector instead of a lens refractor. Anthony van Leeuwenhoek makes the first accurate description of red corpuscles.

The Delft scientist is born in the same year as Vermeer and in the twentieth century is often associated to the artist for their interest in optics although there is no evidence of any contact between them. Tavernier was also given a title of nobility. She and her husband had owned in the place for 28 years. Pieter Teding van Berckhout , who is from an important family in the Hague, visits Vermeer twice and enters in his diaries his impressions.

He arrives in Delft accompanied by Constantijn Huygens and his friends, the member of parliament Ewout van der Horst and ambassador Willem Nieupoort. Huygens is an artistic authority in his own day, maintaining contacts with the famous Flemish painters Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck and recording in his own diary some remarkably insightful comments about the art of Rembrandt van Rijn.

Van Berckhout must have been deeply impressed by the work he sees in Vermeer 's studio, since he returns for another visit less than a month later. This testifies that Vermeer had achieved a significant reputation. What is most interesting about this visit is that Vermeer's studio like Dou and van Mieris is evidently a major cultural destination. In the late s, Vermeer's style becomes increasing stylized. A strongly touch calligraphic is evident in The Lacemaker.

The still life of the latter picture is so highly abstracted that it is difficult to determine which objects are represented. The first Stradivarius violin is created by Italian violinmaker Antonio Stradivari, 25, who serves his apprenticeship in his home town of Cremona in Lombardy to Nicola Amati, now 73, whose grandfather Andrea Amati designed the modern violin. The younger Amati improves on his grandfather's design and teaches not only Stradivari but also Andrea Guarnieri, 43, who also makes violins at Cremona.

It explains the authors determination of the successive order of the earth strata. Send me an email at: jonathanjanson essentialvermeer. Want to make this the perfect website Vermeer deserves? Take a poll. Essential Vermeer 3.

The Complete Interactive Vermeer Catalogue. Looking for another painting by Vermeer? Track current location of this painting. There are 16 hotspots in the image below. How to use the interactive catalogue The textual material contained in the Essential Vermeer Interactive Catalogue would fill a hefty-sized book, and is enhanced by more than 1, corollary images.

In order to use the catalogue most advantageously: 1. The terrestrial globe. The black-framed nautical chart. The floral tapestry. Inspired by Rembrandt? Vermeer versus the fijnschilder style of painting Woman at a Clavichord detail Gerrit Dou c.

The rolled-up chart on the table. A revealing pentimento. The geographer's dividers. The window The basic structure of the window seems to be the same as the one in The Astronomer , considered by many critics to be a pendant of The Geographer. The double signatures.

The geographer's robe Antonie van Leeuwenhoek detail Jan Verkolje c. The chair in the background. A cross-staff? The white folio Like the figure's face, the white surface of the paper has been overcleaned, so its purpose can no longer be identified. The Delft floor tiles Many middle eastern and southern countries used tiles on floors or the exteriors of buildings for decorative or protective purposes.

The sketchy floor Unlike most of Vermeer's late works, The Geographer features a mundane nondescript floor. Google Art Project super zoom image historic timeline of the year s Vermeer created this painting related artworks. The signatures. Dates Albert Blankert, Vermeer: — , c. The painting in its frame Click here to access all of Vermeer's paintings in their frames.

Adriaen Paets I, Rotterdam? Jacob Crammer Simonsz, Amsterdam by d. Max Kann, Paris? Paris Hundred Masterpieces. Rotterdam Vermeer, oorsprong en invloed. Die Wissenschaft der Malerei The Geographer. The painting in scale Click here to access all of Vermeer's paintings in scale. Some scholars believe that Delft citizen Antonie van Leeuwenhoek , who was by then internationally recognized for his studies in optics and scientific observations, posed for The Astronomer , although portraits of Leeuwenhoek bears little resemblance to the seated man in Vermeer's picture.

Dutch painting Rembrandt paints Return of the Prodigal Son. Gabriel van de Velde paints Golfers on the Ice. Mar 5, Francesco Gasparini , composer, is born.

Literature Apr 13, John Dryden 36 became 1st English poet laureate. Chemist Johann R. Glauber dies at Amsterdam March 10 at age History Mar 26, England takes control of Bombay , India.

Vermeer and his wife bury another child in the Oude Kerk. Dutch painting Oct. His beloved Hendrickje had died in Marc' Antonio Cesti , Italian composer, dies. Nicolaus Steno — begins the modern study of geology. Mar 11, Mount Etna in Sicily erupts killing 15, Who posed for the painting? The art of 17th-century mapmaking Cartography is one of the oldest human occupations. The White Horse Philips Wouwerman Sir Isaac Newton at 46 Godfrey Kneller The Lacemaker Johannes Vermeer c.

Nicolas Steno. Diana and her Companions c. Vermeer signs and dates The Astronomer Rembrandt paints Return of the Prodigal Son. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt , Austian architect, is born. Robert Hooke : Discourse on Earthquakes. Mar 26, England takes control of Bombay , India. Le Vau begins remodeling Versailles. Arnold Geulincx b. The Geographer Johannes Vermeer c. Rembrandt van Rijn paints Return of the Prodigal Son. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt , Austrian architect, is born. His beloved Hendrickje dies in Nicolas Steno Arnold Geulincx , Dutch philosopher, dies.

Property and Acquisition. Motifs and References. Genre genre interior Main Motif man interior space. Similar works. Show connecting keywords Hide connecting keywords. Tap on any work to display common keywords. Hover over a work to display connecting keywords. More to discover Albums. Me and the World. But such research would probably not explain the depiction of imposing wall maps fig. Dressed in a Japanese-style robe popular among scholars at that time, the geographer is someone excited by intellectual inquiry.

Surrounded by maps, charts, books, and a globe, he rests one hand on a book and holds dividers with the other. As opposed to the women in Vermeer's paintings , who are quiet and self-contained, the geographer's active stance indicates an alert, penetrating mind. Vermeer not only captured the scholar's energy, he surrounded him with accurately rendered cartographic objects appropriate for a geographer's study.

The decorative sea chart on the rear wall fig. Blaeu fig. Hendrick Hondius ' terrestrial globe, which rests on the cabinet in its four-legged stand, is turned to reveal the Indian Ocean, the route taken by the Dutch to reach China and Japan. Other instruments include the dividers, used to mark distances a square lying on the stool in the foreground and a cross-staff , used to measure the angle of the elevation of the sun and stars, hanging from the center post of the window.

Among the various rolled charts in the room, the large one on the table is probably a nautical chart made of vellum. The seventeenth century was a time of discovery, when the charting of new and unexplored worlds was a dream realized not only by adventurers and traders but also by geographers and astronomers.

From the rime of the first successful trading venture to the South Pacific in and the arrival of the good ship Liefde on the northeast coast of Kioesioe in April l, the fruits of the ever-expanding mercantile empire brought Dutch citizens both wealth and marvelous rarities from distant lands. Send me an email at: jonathanjanson essentialvermeer. Want to make this the perfect website Vermeer deserves? Take a poll. Essential Vermeer 3.

Critical Assessments: The Geographer. The Geographer c. Critical Assessments Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. Lawrence Gowing Vermeer Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.