Soon the work was purchased from public contribution funds and donated to the Jagiellonian University, where the Museum is located to this day. It was especially important because Copernicus studied at this university (then known as the Kraków Academy). The transaction was carried out by Piotr Moszyński, a collector and admirer of Matejko's work.
Matejko's work aroused great interest. Critics pointed out the composition as being quite unusual for the artist. Although he painted more intimate scenes in the past – Zygmunt August and Barbara Radziwiłłówna in love, Jan Kochanowski mourning Urszulka, or Stańczyk in deep reflection – Matejko was primarily known for his monumental multi-figure paintings.
Przegląd Lwowski, reporting on the anniversary celebrations in Kraków, noted:
Matejko's Copernicus is a completely different creation from the previous ones by the great artist. He used to only dramatically depict specific historical events and use the effects of colour, a multitude of types and characters, action and movement – here he introduces a monologue for the first time, so to speak, only one figure in black clothes is shown against the night sky; no colour effects; but it is not a sage's monologue, it is his dialogue, it is a conversation with God.
After the presentation in Kraków, Astronomer Copernicus was sent to Vienna for the universal exhibition in 1873. It was displayed next to larger, more elaborate compositions by Matejko: Unia Lubelska, Stefan Batory pod Pskowem / Stephen Báthory at Pskov and The Sermon of Piotr Skarga / Kazanie Skargi. It contrasted with them as more economical in expression and quite unique in comparison to the artist's previous work. Tygodnik Wielkopolski reported that ‘Matejko's Copernicus is a psychological study, not a historical picture, not a portrait, but a study reflecting the soul of the genius astronomer’.
Originally written in Polish by Karolina Dzimira-Zarzycka, translated into English by ZK, November 2020