On the telescopes in the paintings of J. Brueghel the Elder

TL;DR

This paper investigates the depiction of telescopes in J. Brueghel the Elder's paintings, revealing early Dutch spyglasses and possibly early Keplerian telescopes from the early 17th century.

Contribution

It provides an analysis linking historical paintings to the development and origin of early telescopes, including the first Dutch spyglass and early Keplerian designs.

Findings

Depiction of an early Dutch spyglass in 1608-1612 painting

Identification of sophisticated telescopes in 1617 and 1618 paintings

Possible evidence of early Keplerian telescopes in art

Abstract

We have investigated the nature and the origin of the telescopes depicted in three paintings of J. Bruegel the Elder completed between 1609 and 1618. The "tube" that appears in the painting dated 1608-1612 represents a very early dutch spyglass, tentatively attributable to Sacharias Janssen or Lipperhey, prior to those made by Galileo, while the two instruments made of several draw-tubes which appear in the two paintings of 1617 and 1618 are quite sophisticated and may represent early examples of Keplerian telescopes.