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On the telescopes in the paintings of Jan Brueghel the Elder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2011

Paolo Molaro  and
Pierluigi Selvelli
Paolo Molaro
Affiliation:
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Via G.B. Tiepolo 11, 34143 Trieste, Italy email: [email protected], [email protected]
Pierluigi Selvelli
Affiliation:
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Via G.B. Tiepolo 11, 34143 Trieste, Italy email: [email protected], [email protected]
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Abstract

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Several astronomical instruments including early spyglasses are depicted in at least five paintings that Jan Brueghel the Elder completed between 1608 and 1625. This rather unique circumstance is due to the fact that Jan Brueghel was court painter of Archduke Albert VII of Habsburg, whose love for art and science, he celebrated in his paintings. An optical tube that appears in the Extensive Landscape with View of the Castle of Mariemont, dated 1608-1612 represents the first painting of a telescope whatsoever. Some documents are collected showing that Albert VII could have obtained very early spyglasses directly from Lipperhey or Sacharias Janssen, who are two possible inventors of the telescope. Thus the painting could reproduce one of the first telescopes ever made by mankind. Two more instruments appear prominently in two Allegories of Sight made in the years 1617 and 1618. These are precious instruments made possibly in silver, composed by several draw-tubes, which look much more sophisticated than other instruments of same epoch. Rather surprisingly, the structure and, in particular the eyepiece, suggest that they may represent the first examples of Keplerian telescopes about two decades before they replaced the Dutch mounting.

Keywords

Invention of telescopekeplerian telescopesJan Brueghel paintingsGalileo GalileiInternational Year of Astronomy
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Symposium S260: The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture , January 2009 , pp. 327 - 332
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

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