Artwork
The Astrologer
The Astrologer is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Petr Brandl. It dates from 1701 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The representation centers on the astrologer as the sole subject, establishing the figure's role as the primary iconographic element of the composition.
The work is a portrait depicting an astrologer, a figure engaged in the study of celestial bodies. Painted by Petr Brandl in 1701, the subject is identified explicitly as an astrologer within the artwork's description. As a portrait genre piece, the painting focuses on the individual identity and profession of the sitter rather than a broader narrative scene.
The representation centers on the astrologer as the sole subject, establishing the figure's role as the primary iconographic element of the composition.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1701, The Astrologer is an oil painting on canvas by Petr Brandl. The work functions as a portrait depicting a figure identified as an astrologer. Physically, the composition measures 134 cm in height and 97 cm in width. The piece is currently held within the Bavarian State Painting Collections, specifically located at the Alte Pinakothek.
History & Provenance
The painting was completed in 1701, as indicated by its internal documentation and the Wikidata entry for its inception date.
The work entered the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and has been housed at the Alte Pinakhek since at least the date recorded in the database.
The work is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
It is inventoried as accession number 1701 in the collection, with dimensions recorded as 134 cm in height and 97 cm in width.
Overview
Petr Brandl’s 1701 oil painting titled The Astrologer presents a solemn scene of two figures, a bearded man and a woman, engaged in a study of celestial instruments. Rendered in the Flemish Baroque idiom, the composition is dominated by a dark background that accentuates the illuminated figures and the objects on a nearby table.
Context
During Brandl’s career, portraiture often incorporated symbolic objects to denote the sitter’s profession or intellectual pursuits. The inclusion of an astrolabe aligns with contemporary interests in astronomy and astrology, fields that were frequently intertwined in the scientific culture of the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Petr Brandl (Peter Johannes Brandl or Jan Petr Brandl) (24 October 1668 – 24 September 1735) was a Czech painter of the late Baroque in the bilingual Kingdom of Bohemia.
- Geographer
The Geographer
Lot und seine Töchter
Bathseba erhält den Brief König Davids
Jacob betrügt Esau (Kopie nach)
Homer Dictating
Archimedes
Philosophy
Joseph als Traumdeuter
Et ungt fruentimmer i blå kjole, samtaler med en gammel mand
Philosophe
Et ungt fruentimmer i blå kjole, samtaler med en gammel mand