The Astronomer

Johannes Vermeer

1668 · Oil on canvas · Musée du Louvre, Paris

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

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 exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. 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: Exhibition poster of a Dutch Golden Age painting
Era: 17th century (1668)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: calm
Rooms: study or library, home office, living room, dining room, dorm 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. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

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

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • 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 exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

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

An exhibition poster of Vermeer's The Astronomer — the whole quiet study under a huge tracked surname banner on a deep ground from the work. A jewel of the Dutch Golden Age, framed as a museum exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — 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 Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

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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