Portrait of Johannes Hevelius

Johannes Hevelius (Gdansk 1611-1687 ibid), scientist astronomer, brewer, councillor of the Old Town in the City Council of Gdansk. The author of the portrait is Daniel Schultz (Gdansk 1615-1683 ibid), 1677.

After Nicolaus Copernicus, Hevelius was the most prominent astronomer operating in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He published his great works at his own expense, with his observational results appearing in international journals. He was a scholarship recipient of the French King Louis XIV and found special patronage under Polish kings: Władysław IV, Jan Kazimierz, and Jan III Sobieski. Among his works, his book on the description of the moon, “Selenographia” (1647), was highly esteemed and remained relevant for nearly 200 years. In “Machina Coelestis” (part one), 1673, he depicted his observatory and instruments, which were destroyed in the fire that consumed three houses in 1679. His observations of fixed stars were compiled in “Prodromus Astronomiae” and “Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia,” published posthumously in 1690.

The portrait stands out for its artistic execution and the meaningful content conveyed through the symbolism of scientific attributes. The work’s provenance is documented in historical sources.