The geographer
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| The geographer |
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| Jan Vermeer , 1668/1669 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 53 × 46.6 cm |
| Städel |
The Geographer is an oil painting by Jan Vermeer painted in1668/1669. The 53 centimeter high and 46.6 centimeter wide picture shows a geographer at work and formsa pairwith the painting The Astronomer in the Louvre in Paris. It belongs to the Städel's collectionand can be seen in the museum's permanent exhibition.
Image description
The picture The Geographer shows the scientist in the center of the picture as the central motif. He wears his long hair tied behind his ears and is dressed in a long blue robe , red and white undergarments. He carelessly pushed aside the heavy oriental carpet that covered his desk to make room for the map. While he is propping himself up on the table with his left hand, he has lifted his compass off the map and is now looking thoughtfully ahead. Bright light falls from the high side window on his face, hands and map, alluding to the enlightenment at work. On the narrow cupboard in the background is a globe next to a small pile of books. There are two more rolls of cards on the floor.
The back wall of the room, on which the window light, scattered by the curtain and furniture, unfolds a delicate play of shadows, is equipped with a skirting board made of Delft tiles . Cut off from the right edge of the picture, a small part of a framed map can be seen, as it is meticulously reproduced in other pictures by Vermeer's. The map is a nautical map of Europe by the Dutch cartographer Willem Jansz. Blaeu . In addition to the maritime practice in the framed state, such maps served to represent wealth, cosmopolitanism and education of their owner.
Beneath the card is a tapestry -covered chair, as was common in wealthy households in the Netherlands during the Golden Age . The furniture, the expensive glazed windows and the furnishings of the room, together with the map, indicate the special rank and reputation that cartographers and Dutch cartography enjoyed in the Netherlands and throughout Europe during this period.
The signature
The geographer is dated and, along with the astronomer and the picture At the matchmaker, is one of the three pictures that have been signed by Vermeer. The signature IVer Meer / MXCLXIII is attached in an exposed position on the upper edge of the picture. In the right corner of the picture, the name cannot be overlooked thanks to the sophisticated lighting. On the wall, which is darkened by shaded areas, a weak light, emphasized by another parallel strip of light, illuminates the signature, to which the viewer's gaze is additionally drawn through the black frame of the map.
Contemporary references
By portraying a geographer , Jan Vermeer reacts to a paradigm shift in society of his time. Up until the 17th century it was not customary to study the extent, shape and history of the earth . Church circles saw it as a violation of God's plan of salvation . Nevertheless, these sciences received a great boost from the discoveries of the seafarers and astronomers like Galileo and Kepler, who made use of the Dutch invention of the telescope . Since the discovery of new coasts and countries in America, Asia and Africa, merchants and seafarers needed more and more geographical knowledge, which was collected and processed in books, maps and globes.
Provenance
Until 1797, The Geographer formed a pair of pictures with the picture The Astronom , only with the auction that year were both pictures separated. In 1885 the Frankfurter Kunstverein acquired the painting The Geographer for the Städel's collection . Today it is one of the most important works in this collection and is presented in the permanent exhibition.
literature
- Thorsten Smidt: Johannes Vermeer - The Geographer. The science of painting , Staatliche Museen Kassel, Kassel 2003, ISBN 3-931787-23-0
- Norbert Schneider: Vermeer all paintings . Taschen, Cologne 2004. ISBN 3-8228-6377-7
- Vermeer. DuMont Literature and Art Publishing, Cologne 2003. ISBN 3-8321-7339-0
- Jeroen Giltaij: The magic of the everyday. Dutch painting from Adriaen Brouwer to Johannes Vermeer . Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern-Ruit 2005. ISBN 3-7757-1522-3
- Eva Mongi-Vollmer: Masterpieces in the Städel Museum. Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main 2007. ISBN 3-9809701-3-2
Web links
- The geographer in the digital collection of the Städel Museum
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Jeroen Giltaij: The magic of the everyday. Dutch painting from Adriaen Brouwer to Johannes Vermeer . Hatje cantz Verlag, Ostfildern-Ruit 2005. Page 255.
- ^ A b Norbert Schneider: Vermeer all paintings . Taschen, Cologne 2004. page 75.
- ^ Norbert Schneider: Jan Vermeer. Cologne 1993. p. 77.
- ^ History of geography on the website of the University of Duisburg, page 1
- ^ Eva Mongi-Vollmer: Masterpieces in the Städel Museum. Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main 2007. Page 8.