Marco Basaiti

Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus holding an armillary sphere

steel engraving

19th century

According to the inscription on the engraving it was commissioned by Prince Henryk Lubomirski in the mid-19th c. It illustrates an alleged portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus kept in Lubomirski's collection. Lost during WWII, the painting was attributed to Marco Basaiti as indicated in the inscription: M. BASAITI FACIEBAT MDXII. The date of origin - 1512 - is questionable and so is the name of Nicolaus Copernicus as the person depicted. The person portrayed is holding an armillary sphere and compasses in his right hand. There is an astrolabe - an attribute of astronomers - on the left.

Regional Museum in Toruń