Before his fame as an inventor, Drebbel trained as an engraver in Alkmaar. This technical background influenced his later work in optics and lens grinding. He lived in Middelburg during the period when the telescope was first developed. Drebbel built his own machines to grind glass lenses with a consistency that manual labour could not match. His engraving of Astronomy shows this focus on instruments and the mechanical side of Dutch science. He preferred to demonstrate his ideas rather than patent them for profit.

Modern collectors value Drebbel for his role in the Dutch Golden Age of discovery. His prints provide a visual record of a time when the boundaries between magic and mechanics were thin. The precision of his copperplate engravings appeals to those interested in the history of technology and navigation. His work is a document of a polymath who influenced figures like Constantijn Huygens and René Descartes. These images bring a sense of intellectual curiosity to a contemporary interior.