Author unknown

Toruń portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus

tempera on board

1585

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.

Regional Museum in Toruń