Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus by Robert Boissard

What it is

This is an engraved oval portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, made by Robert Boissard in 1598 and held by Leipzig University Library. It shows a man with wavy shoulder-length hair and a plain open-collared shirt, seen from the chest up. An ornate border carries the inscription NICOLAUS COPERNICUS, the dates 1473 and 1543, and a Latin caption below. The engraving was made decades after Copernicus's death, so it shows how a later artist imagined him.

Why it matters

Copernicus is known for arguing that the Earth moves around the Sun, a view that changed astronomy. Printed portraits like this one spread his image among scholars and readers who never met him. Boissard's engraving shows that, by the late 1500s, Copernicus was already being honoured as an important scholar. It also shows how printing helped turn a single person into a widely recognised name.

Look closer

• Which details in the engraving might the artist have added to make Copernicus look important?
• Since the artist never saw Copernicus, what sources might he have relied on?
• What does the Latin caption tell readers that the face alone does not?