Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer, circa 1665–1675

Oil on canvas

44.5 × 39 cm

Mauritshuis, The Hague

The Girl with a Pearl Earring (Dutch: Het meisje met de parel) is one of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's masterworks and as the name implies, uses a pearl earring for a focal point. The painting is currently housed at The Mauritshuis in The Hague. It is sometimes referred to as "the Mona Lisa of the North" or "the Dutch Mona Lisa". The Girl with a Pearl Earring is a Vermeer painting from the 1600s. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2536x3071, 737 KB) Description: Title: nl: Het meisje met de parel de: Das Mädchen mit der Perle en: The Girl with a Pearl Earring Technique: de: Öl auf Leinwand Dimensions: de: 46,5 × 40 cm Country of origin: de: Niederlande... “Vermeer” redirects here. ... Year 1665 (MDCLXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1675 (MDCLXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Mona Lisa, Oil on wood panel painting by Leonardo da Vinci. ... Mauritshuis The Mauritshuis is a museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. ... Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province South Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 98. ... “Painter” redirects here. ... “Vermeer” redirects here. ... Freshadama grade cultured freshwater pearls. ... Child – 5:16 All I Need – 3:55 Drifting – 6:43 Hold On – 4:40 Open Me – 3:35 Beautiful – 5:44 Look In – 4:14 Without You – 4:55 Live It – 7:23 Dont Walk Away – 3:04 Lead Me On – 5:34 Rest – 5:06 Child [Piano... Mauritshuis The Mauritshuis is a museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. ... Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province South Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 98. ... For other uses, see Mona Lisa (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Mona Lisa (disambiguation). ...

Background

In general, very little is known about Vermeer and his works. This painting is signed "IVMeer", but not dated. It is unclear whether or not this work was commissioned, and if so by whom. In any case, it is probably not meant as a conventional portrait.

More recent Vermeer literature points to the image being a ’tronie’, the Dutch 17th century description of a ’head’ that was not meant to be a portrait. After the most recent restoration of the painting in 1994 the subtle colour scheme and the intimacy of the girl’s gaze onto the spectator has been greatly enhanced.^[1] (The image shown here is from before the most recent restoration in 1994 and therefore not representative of the current condition of painting)

On the advice of Victor de Stuer, who for years tried to prevent Vermeer's rare works from being sold to parties abroad, A.A. des Tombe purchased the work at an auction in The Hague in 1881 for only two guilders and thirty cents. At the time, its condition was very bad. Des Tombe had no heirs and donated this and other paintings to the Mauritshuis in 1902.^[2] Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province South Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 98. ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Guilder is the English translation of gulden, (old) Dutch for golden. The gulden originated as a gold coin (hence the name) but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries. ... Mauritshuis The Mauritshuis is a museum in The Hague, the Netherlands. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1937, a very similar painting, at the time also thought to be by Vermeer, was donated by collector Andrew W. Mellon to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It is now widely considered to be a fake. Vermeer expert Arthur Wheelock claimed in a 1995 study that it is by 20th century artist and forger Theo van Wijngaarden, a friend of Han van Meegeren.^[2] Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Andrew William Mellon (March 24, 1855 — August 27, 1937) was an American banker, industrialist, philanthropist, art collector and Secretary of the Treasury from March 4, 1921 until February 12, 1932. ... The West building of the National Gallery of Art with the East building visible behind and to to the left The National Gallery of Art is an art museum, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum was established in 1937 by the Congress, with funds for... Look up fake in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Han van Meegeren (10 October 1889 in Deventer in the Netherlands province of Overijssel – 30 December 1947 in Amsterdam), born Henricus Antonius van Meegeren, was a Dutch painter, art-restorer, and art forger. ...

References

See also

• Girl with a Pearl Earring (novel), a novel by Tracy Chevalier inspired by this painting
• Girl with a Pearl Earring (film), a movie based on the novel

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a novel by Tracy Chevalier published in 1999. ... Girl with a Pearl Earring is a 2003 United Kingdom/Luxembourg drama film directed by Peter Webber. ...

External links

• "After Vermeer", portrait by Robert Balcomb
• Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier