Description: Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus by the little-known artist T. Knorr (signature in the central part of the painting, on the right side of the figure) from the mid-19th c. Artistically, it is an unsuccessful travesty of Copernicus' portrait formerly held by the Academic Gymnasium of Toruń
Description: Portrait taken from Der Teutsche Merkur vom Jahr 1776 published in Weimar in 1776. It features the upper part of Copernicus' body with his face turning to the left on an oval background. The engraving was made by Nilson Esais whereas the drawing had been made by G.M. Kraus. Most probably Theodorus de Bry's print taken from Boissard's publication served Kraus as the iconographic prototype of his drawing
Description: Illustration from Icones sive imagines virorum literis illustrium by Nicolaus Reusner published in 1587. The print, a copy of a drawing by Tobias Stimmer, is the earliest published graphic portrait of the astronomer. The portrait features the upper part of Copernicus body turned to the right. The astronomer is holding a lily-of-the-valley - an attribute of physicians - in his right hand. Under his right eyebrow there is a characteristic 'scar' which in fact was on the left side of his face. The engraving was reprinted in later editions of Icones... in 1589, 1590 and 1719
Description: The most famous portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, most probably painted in the 1780s. Some attribute the painting to Marcus Gheeraerts, a painter residing in the Netherlands and London and associated with the famous de Bry family of engravers. The engraving by Theodorus de Bry included in Boissard's publication of 1597 bears a striking resemblance to the Toruń portrait. Formerly the property of the Protestant Academic Gymnasium (Grammar School), the Toruń portrait is currently held by the Regional Museum and displayed in the Burghers Chamber of the Town Hall
Location: Regional Museum in Toruń
Contact
Nicolaus Copernicus University Library Gagarina 13 87-100 Toruń Poland
International Centre for Copernican Studies Bojarskiego 1 87-100 Toruń Poland