The Astrologer
1601 to 1650
Medium
etching
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 12.6 x 9.3 cm (4 15/16 x 3 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.1504
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Astrologer*, a delicate etching by Ferdinand Bol, a prominent Dutch artist of the Baroque era and a favored pupil of Rembrandt van Rijn. Created sometime between 1601 and1650—likely during Bol's early career in the 1640s—this intimate print measures just 12.6 x 9.3 cm, trimmed to the plate mark, making it a pocket-sized gem suited for collectors of the Dutch Golden Age. Housed in the National Gallery Art's Rosenwald Collection (Department CG-E), it exemplifies the era's fascination with intellectual pursuits, portraying an astrologer amid the blend of emerging science and lingering...
About the Artist
Ferdinand Bol · 1616–1680
As a very young man, Bol moved to Amsterdam, where he worked under the direction of Rembrandt, with whom he formed a friendship. Comment on works: Religious; History; Portraits