Jan Vermeer(1632 — 1675)
Jan Vermeer
Royaume des Pays-Bas
6 min read
Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter of the Dutch Golden Age, famous for his intimate interior scenes bathed in subtle light. A master of Delft, he left behind a small but exceptionally fine body of work.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born in 1632 in Delft (United Provinces)
- Painted The Milkmaid around 1658-1660
- Created Girl with a Pearl Earring around 1665
- Became dean of the Guild of Saint Luke in Delft (1662, 1670)
- Died in 1675 in Delft, leaving a body of work of about thirty paintings
Works & Achievements
A “tronie” (a study of facial expression) with a blue turban and a luminous pearl, now a global icon nicknamed the “Mona Lisa of the North.”
A kitchen scene of a humble servant pouring milk, famous for its light and the dignity given to an everyday gesture.
A rare cityscape by Vermeer, regarded as one of the finest city panoramas in Western painting.
An allegorical staging of his own studio; a canvas Vermeer kept his whole life as a manifesto of his art.
A woman holding an empty balance before a painting of the Last Judgment, a meditation on measure and the vanity of worldly goods.
A young woman reading a letter by a window, a perfect example of his intimate interiors bathed in light.
A scholar leaning over a celestial globe, a tribute to Dutch science and the thirst for knowledge of the Golden Age.
One of his few dated and signed works, a larger and more colorful genre scene marking a turning point in his style.
Anecdotes
Vermeer worked so slowly and painted so little — about 35 known paintings over a twenty-year career — that he could not make a living from painting alone. He supplemented his income as an art dealer, a trade inherited from his innkeeper father.
When he died in 1675, Vermeer left behind eleven children still in his care, along with heavy debts. His widow, Catharina Bolnes, had to hand over two canvases to the baker to settle an unpaid bread bill.
Vermeer is thought to have used a camera obscura, an optical device that projected the image of a scene onto a surface. This would explain the soft, luminous effects and the small, bright points of light so characteristic of his canvases.
After his death, Vermeer fell into almost total obscurity for nearly two centuries. It was the French critic Théophile Thoré-Bürger who rediscovered him in the 1860s and revived his fame.
In the 20th century, the Dutch forger Han van Meegeren fooled the greatest experts by painting fake Vermeers; he even sold one to the Nazi official Hermann Göring, which paradoxically saved him from a charge of collaboration.
Primary Sources
Inventory of the goods furnishing the widow's house, listing painting materials, canvases and the considerable debts left behind by the deceased.
The visitor notes having met “an excellent painter named Vermeer” and admired works at his home, of which “the most extraordinary and most curious part lies in the perspective.”
Entry recording Johannes Vermeer as a master painter and member of the guild, authorising him to sell his works and take on apprentices.
A laudatory mention of Vermeer among the notable painters of the city, indirectly evoking the death of Carel Fabritius, whom he is said to have succeeded.
Key Places
Vermeer's birthplace, where he lived, worked and died. A prosperous city renowned for its blue earthenware and its trade.
The heart of the city, lined by the town hall and the Nieuwe Kerk. Vermeer was born here and the Guild of Saint Luke was located here.
The painters' corporation of which Vermeer became a master and then dean. It governed the training of artists and the sale of their works.
The Old Church where Vermeer was buried in 1675. A Gothic building emblematic of the city.
