Portrait of John Dee

The image is a monochrome print depicting an elderly man with a long, white, pointed beard and a dark skullcap. He is wearing a dark, heavy coat with a broad, pleated collar or ruff that frames his neck. The figure is centered within a simulated stone or marble oval frame, which is decorated with carved garlands of fruit or leaves. A piece of fabric, possibly a curtain, drapes behind his head and shoulders within the oval, creating a sense of depth.

John Dee (1527–1608) was a central figure in Elizabethan natural philosophy, alchemy, and angelic communication; this portrait serves as a standard historical representation of his later years as an aging scholar and magus.