Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter now regarded as one of the greatest artists of the Golden Age, though he was little known for centuries after his death. Born in Delft in 1632, he worked slowly and left only around thirty five known paintings, most of them quiet scenes of women in domestic interiors, reading letters, pouring milk, or making music by a window.

His genius lay in his handling of light, which falls across his rooms with a soft, pearly glow that makes ordinary moments feel timeless. His most famous work, Girl with a Pearl Earring, has a haunting, luminous presence. Forgotten for generations, Vermeer was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, and his small, radiant paintings are now among the most treasured in the world.