The Astronomer

Johannes Vermeer

1668 · Oil on canvas · Musée du Louvre, Paris

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.

Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

The Astronomer

View of Delft

Woman in Blue Reading a Letter

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675)
Year: 1668
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 51 × 45 cm
Collection: Musée du Louvre, Paris
Movement: Dutch Golden Age

A scholar in a loose gown leans toward a celestial globe on his table, one hand reaching to turn it, with an astrolabe, books and a window at left admitting the light that falls across his face and the Turkish carpet. Vermeer signed and dated the canvas 1668, one of only three dated works by him. It is a companion to The Geographer in Frankfurt, which shows the same model and room, and both reflect the scientific culture of Delft, home of the microscopist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. The globe has been identified as one made by Jodocus Hondius in 1600, and the open book as a treatise on astronomy. The painting was confiscated from the Rothschild family in 1940 and returned after the war; it entered the Louvre in 1983.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A scholar lit from a window, with a globe and books: a natural fit for a study or home office, hung beside the desk at 16×24 in black. A warm neutral wall suits the carpet and gown; it pairs with The Geographer.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Dutch Golden Age painting
Era: 17th century (1668)
Orientation: Portrait
Mood: calm
Rooms: study or library, home office, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; natural wood lightens it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is The Astronomer in the public domain?

Yes. Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Musée du Louvre.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was The Astronomer painted, and in what medium?

The Astronomer dates from 1668 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 51 × 45 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For The Astronomer we'd choose 16×24.

About this design

The Astronomer (Johannes Vermeer) — The Astronomer · Johannes Vermeer · 1668. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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