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Notes
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A man wearing the cap and gown of a scholar sits at a desk in a dark and cavernous room, a glazed expression on his face. He clasps a pair of reading glasses, implying that he was until a moment ago studying the book propped up in front of him. A large diagram of the palm of a hand is visible on one of its pages, suggesting that its subject is palmistry (the art of supposedly interpreting a person’s character or predicting their future by examining their palm). Various details, particularly the celestial globe in the background, also help to identify the man as an astrologer. In the seventeenth century, astrology and palmistry were both associated with the charlatans who claimed that through the use of such ploys they could reveal someone’s fate.
Title
An Astrologer
Date
1663
Medium
Oil on oak
Measurements
H 36.9 x W 29.6 cm
Accession number
NG1481
Acquisition method
Presented by Martin H. Colnaghi, 1896
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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