"The Astronomer" was found in May 1945 with more than
8,000 other paintings, sculpture and artworks, hidden deep in a
mountain salt mine in Altaussee, Austria. With it were
Michelangelo's tender "Bruges Madonna" sculpture, dumped
on a filthy mattress, and Jan Van Eyck's "Ghent Altarpiece," a
dozen panels that constitute one of the greatest treasures of
the early Renaissance.
After the war "The Astronomer" was returned to its owner,
whose family gave or sold it to the Louvre in 1983.
Eines der 3 signierten Vermeer Gemälde
Vermeer Astronomer (Der Astronom)
