Carl Barth

Portrait of Copernicus

steel engraving

ca 1850

Representation of Copernicus in a rectangular frame with rosettes in the corners. The quarter-length figure of the astronomer in half-profile to the right. The engraving was based on the so-called Toruń portrait formerly belonging to the Academic Gymnasium in Toruń. The characteristic fur-lined collar of Copernicus' tunic is somewhat different from that in the original engraving by Theodorus de Bry. Inscription: Copernicus Eigenthum & Verlag des bibl. Instituts in Hildburghausen beneath. This engraving from the mid-19th c. is a typical example of 19th c. popular graphics.

Copernican Library in Toruń