Space is full ofcosmic mysterieswaiting to be solved by star - gazers . Yet on Earth , astronomers can also help to shed light in a rather different field – art . “ Celestial Sleuth ” Professor Donald Olson of Texas State University applies the method of “ forensic uranology ” to solve some of the burn questions in the artwork scene . Olson ’s latest case involved Dutch mountain lion Johannes Vermeer ’s masterpieceView of Delft(pictured above ) .
A prime model of Vermeer ’s technically precise picture of light and shadow , the cityscape of Delft has left historians and artists alike meditate the accurate day of the month and time of the view on the canvas . learner had failed to agree on whether the painting describe the morning or afternoon , or whether the sunlight was coming from the Occident or ripe overhead . This was a job for Olson and his ownMystery Incorporatedcrew , whose findings are publish in the September 2020 issue ofSky and Telescope magazine .
“ The students and I worked for about a yr on this task , ” Olson said in astatement . “ We spend a lot of time studying the topography of the town , using map from the 17th and 19th century and Google Earth . ”
From their primary probe , Olson and his squad realized that from Vermeer ’s north - facing viewpoint ( the 2nd base of an auberge overlooking the city ) the lighting of the scene would be achieve from a south - easterly source ( i.e. the painting was of the sunup ) . To better the accuracy of their Google Earth measurements , the squad then had to take their own whodunit machine ( woodworking plane ) to Delft and see the scene for themselves .
A finicky feature of speech of pursuit was the octagonal tower of Nieuwe Kerk ( New Church ) . Whilst some literature had advise Vermeer had blow up its size , the researchers own examination unwrap that Vermeer once again was spot on . This determination activate the team to forecast the exact angle of the Sun in the painting using the shadows of the tower ’s pillar .
An especially sore indicant of the Sun ’s perspective is the narrow-minded lit upright newspaper column ( red pointer ) , which appear for only a few minutes as the Sun moves across the sky . On the left is Vermeer ’s depiction , and on the right wing the towboat on October 16 , 2019 . Mauritshuis , The Hague ; Russell Doescher .
“ That ’s our tonality . That ’s the sensitive indicator of where the sun has to be to do that , to just skim the one projection and illume the other , ” Olson said . “ The pattern of light source and shadows was a sensible indicant of the posture of the sun . ”
On the scent , the team took a airless look at the tug clock ’s metre . For days it had been interpreted as “ just past seven o’clock , ” but as minute hands were not added on towboat pin clover until the late 19th century , an alternative meter reading concede a time closer to 8 am .
Now for the class . As the column ’s bells were not set up until 1660 , and the picture shows an empty campanile , Olson and the team knew the painting was conceived prior to this appointment . In fact , inputting the Sun ’s slant and clock time into astronomical software program , they narrowed down the particular date ranges to two possibilities : April 6 - 8 and September 3 - 4 .
As with all near detective stories , there was one last isolated piece to this mystifier – the leafy trees . In Delft ’s northern climate , the trees rest au naturel until the closing of April , ruling out the spring engagement . at long last this close down the case – Vermeer’sView of Delftwas likely inspired by the view observed on or near September 3 , 1659 ( or an earlier year ) at 8 am local mean meter .
“ Vermeer is known to have function tardily . Completing all the contingent on the large canvas of his chef-d’oeuvre may have taken week , month or even years , ” Olson said . “ His remarkably exact delineation of the distinctive and momentaneous practice of light and shadows on the Nieuwe Kerk suggests that at least this detail was inspired by lineal observation of the sunlit pillar rising above the bulwark and roofs of Delft . ”
