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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileHalbfigur eines Philosophen mit einem Folianten Portrait of sitting old man, half - length ( plulocaphes)
An aged scholar is depicted in a state of quiet contemplation, his hand resting upon a heavy book while his face is highlighted by a dramatic light source against a dark background. He wears simple, dark robes, and the weathered texture of his skin and the worn edges of the papers on his desk emphasize a life dedicated to rigorous study. The arrangement of books and manuscripts suggests a figure engaged in the synthesis of ancient texts or the pursuit of natural knowledge.
This work exemplifies the 17th-century 'philosopher' portrait, a genre used to represent the pursuit of wisdom and the 'Vita Contemplativa' (contemplative life). It reflects the early modern transition where the philosopher was often a practitioner of natural philosophy, alchemy, or Hermetic study, bridging the gap between classical authority and empirical observation.
Paracelsus
The iconography of the scholar surrounded by folios was a standard visual trope used to establish the authority of figures like Paracelsus in the fields of medicine and natural philosophy.
Object
Engraving
portrait
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Deutsches Historisches Museum
Public domain
3968 × 6228 px
f38fbe42d9759d08abfe88a5591f35dd1e97901e
April 30, 2022
March 24, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.