Conversations with God: Jan Matejko's Copernicus

Neat exhibition at the National Gallery of Polish artist, Jan Matejko’s iconic painting of Copernicus.

This picture is on loan from Kraków's Jagiellonian University founded in the 14th century. I knew nothing about this picture but quickly learned from the excellent commentary that this picture is an icon of Polish art bringing together the famous 19th century Polish artist, Jan Matejko and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who I’d not realised was Polish, or from an area now part of Poland.

The picture shows Copernicus presenting his discovery, that the earth moves round the sun, to God on the roof of the university. He is surrounded by the scientific instruments he would have used and it was a lovely touch to show the picture alongside contemporary examples of those instruments from the university which belonged to an earlier astronomer and were almost certainly used by Copernicus. There was also a 1543 copy of his publication “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium”. 

Closes 22 August 2021

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