De astronoom 1794

"De Astronoom" (1794), by Abraham Delfos, is a painting depicting a man studying a celestial globe. The image is a depiction of a common theme for Dutch Genre painters of the period, which was that of "the learned man", or a scholarly pursuit. The careful detail in the depiction of the globe, the bookshelves, and the astronomer's attentive gaze show the artist's skill and his focus on the scholarly life, as well as the importance of the scientific pursuit in the Dutch Republic during the period. The painting currently resides in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.