Allegory Of Astronomy — Circle Of Maarten De Vos And Frans Floris, Late 16th Century

Oil on wood panel (oak), 30 x 22 com, Antwerp School. This cabinet panel depicts the Allegory of Astronomy, one of the seven Liberal Arts, the study of which had structured knowledge since antiquity. The winged figure, wearing a star-studded diadem and a white gown accented with gold, holds a wand and rests her hand on a celestial globe adorned with animal figures evoking the zodiac. She is teaching an elderly, bearded man, draped in red, seated beside her—a classic depiction of the ancient scholar being initiated into the mysteries of the stars.The composition, the vivid color palette (bright reds, golds, and dazzling whites), and the elegant mannerism of the figures follow in the tradition of the allegorical compositions of Maarten de Vos (Antwerp, 1532–1603) and his master Frans Floris (Antwerp, 1519/20–1570)—an engraving by Cornelis Cort based on a composition by Floris, depicting a very similar Allegory of Astronomy (a winged goddess measuring a zodiacal celestial globe, accompanied by a male figure), attests to the circulation of this type of image within the circles of the two Antwerp masters at the end of the 16th century. An old inscription, engraved on the back of the panel (“M de Goy”), warrants further examination.