Astronomers Studying an Eclipse

Antoine Caron was court painter to Catherine de' Medici, the widowed queen of France, who was obsessed with astrology and prophecy. Caron painted this scene of ancient astronomers observing an eclipse — but dressed them in the elaborate court fashion of 1570s Paris: velvet robes, pearl embroidery, feathered caps. Astrolabes and quadrants are held in gloved hands. It is one of the earliest depictions of astronomy as courtly rather than monkish activity. In Renaissance France an eclipse was a serious omen, and Catherine watched every one. The painting hangs at the Getty in Los Angeles. Now at J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles @gettymuseum