The Geographer

Johannes Vermeer1668–1669
The Geographer by Johannes Vermeer. Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

About this painting

A young geographer pauses with a pair of dividers and looks up toward the window, as if struck by an idea. Maps and a celestial globe surround him in the cluttered, sunlit study. Like The Astronomer, the picture conveys the Dutch Republic's intense interest in measuring and mapping the world.
Date
1668–1669
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
53 × 46.6 cm

Current location

Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Germany