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Jan Vermeer June 14: Info on the original painting added here. This finely crafted wall tapestry is made in the USA by skilled artisans, using Jacquard looms and pure cotton yarn. An iron rod and finial are included, in addition to brackets and hardware for easy hanging. c. 1665. Oil on canvas. 45 x 39 cm. Mauritshuis, The Hague. It is Vermeer's masterwork; it's what makes art the nearest thing to an outer being experience we will ever know. It is quite simply a little bit of Heaven on Earth. What makes the picture striking to me is because it is set off with a very dark background. Everything is luminous in front of it and makes the girl more striking because of it. A simple observation but nevertheless it is true. The girl has a three-dimensional quality because of it which I have seldom seen matched. This moment in the girl's life is captured forever and raises more intriguing questions than answers. She is forever looking over her left shoulder out to the viewer with her lips slightly open as if she is about to speak. What came next? What did she say? Her words: what were they? The light clothing help to give her a hypnotic and ethereal effect. Light brown jacket, white blouse, and a blue and yellow headscarf or turban. Interestingly, our perception of the piece has changed considerably in recent years. The movie in 2003 bought it to a wider audience but I'm not talking about that. It's the earring. In many of Vermeer's paintings the large tear shaped eaaring appears (Mistress and Maid instantly springs to mind). Here it stands out really distinctly as the girl's neck is in shadow. Thus the light reflected off the pearl is really emphasized. The painting was restored in 1994 and before then there was a second reflection on the pearl, slightly lower down and to the right. If you look at various re[roductions of the piece pre-1994 you can clearly see it. With the restoration it was found to be a flake of paint which had accidentally stuck to the canvas during a previous restoration, probaly in 1882. So for over 100 years our perception of the piece was different, the earring was different, and it was in no way how Vermeer had intended it to be. Spooky. And who was the girl? The age old question and probaly a question we will never know the answer to. Speculation abounds and the most popular is that if she is anybody (it could be an idealised figure for all we know) then she could be one of his daughters. But in 1665 his eldest daughter, Maria, would have only been 11 years old - too young surely to be The Girl with the Pearl Earring. Like a bargain? Well you have to go back to 1882. The Girl with the Pearl Earring sold at auction that year for two and a half guilders, less than £1. It was quickly established that it was a Vermeer and in 1903 was given to the Mauritshuis. Also Available: ebay.com (direct link to vermeer tapestries) Back to Store |
