Athanasius Kircher (circa 1601-1680),German Jesuit scholar. Kircher worked in numerous different areas,including oriental studies,geology and medicine. His wide knowledge has led to him being described as 'the last Renaissance man'. The Latin text across bottom includes reference to him as a Jesuit (Societ: Iefu),and states that he is aged 53 here. The location and date of the sitting is given as 2 May 1655 in Rome,Italy,and the artist is the Dutch painter Cornelis Bloemaert (1603-1692),who made other portraits of Kircher,including one in 1679. Fuldensis,in the Latin caption,refers to Fulda,Germany,near where Kircher was born |