Portrait of Tycho Brahe

De Gheyn was an outstanding portraitist. He made two different portraits of Tycho Brahe (1546? 1601), a Danish astronomer, astrologer and alchemist. Both of them were likely meant to adorn the scholar’s printed writings. The date 1586 contained in the inscription may refer to the origin of the drawn design as the print itself was made later. From 1599 on, Brahe lived in Prague as a court astronomer of Emperor Rudolf II, who allegedly invited him based on the recommendation of the naturalist Tadeáš Hájek. Brahe died in Prague two years later and was buried in the Church of Our Lady before Týn.