Johannes Vermeer’s ‘The Astronomer’
When it comes to the most priceless, rare, and treasured works of art stolen by the Nazis, most people think of art in museums and churches. However, there were also thousands of personal art collections that were plundered that contained some remarkable treasures as well. One such painting was Johannes Vermeer’s ‘The Astronomer,’ which was held in the private collection of Edouard Alphonse James de Rothschild. He, like many other Jewish citizens with the resources, fled Paris when the Germans advanced. He did his best to hide his art collection, but it was still discovered and completely looted.
Hermann Goering, who was known for taking the world’s treasures for his own personal collection, coveted the painting, but knew that it was also a personal favorite of Hitler. So instead of keeping it for himself as he had so many other works, he sent it to Hitler as a gift. The painting is particularly coveted because there are so few Vermeer paintings in existence. ‘The Astronomer’ was painted in 1668 and is rich with detail and symbolism.
‘The Astronomer’ is suggested to be a painting of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, and it shows the man looking at a celestial globe while the 1621 edition of Institutiones Astronicae Geograhicae sits open on the desk. There is religious symbolism with the book open to the section that tells the astronomer to seek “inspiration from God.”
After being looted by the Nazis, the painting was hidden in the Altausee salt mine. It was discovered by the MFAA and returned to the Rothschild family who were lucky enough to survive the war. The family turned the painting over to the state as payment for inheritance taxes in 1983, and it has been displayed in the Louvre ever since.