Shop art print and framed art Lady Writing a letter with her maid by Johannes Vermeer

The Mistress and the Maid is a painting by Johannes Vermeer (oil on canvas, 90.2 × 78.7 cm) painted around 1666-1667, on display in the Frick Collection in New York. In this work, a number of Vermeer's distinctive elements can be seen: careful composition, his favourite colours: the blue of the silk canvas and the yellow satin of the jacket, a family setting, letters, a profusion of pearls and the subtle way in which penetrating light is used, giving a luminous white to the letter and the lady's face as well as reflections in the pearls, glass and cutlery on the table. Vermeer captures a dramatic moment"; the young woman's writing is interrupted by a cleaning lady who hands her a letter, perhaps a love letter. Her reaction is preoccupied, which is expressed by the way she puts her fingers to her chin; her mouth is slightly open, she has a pensive look towards the letter; however, the painter does not show her eyes. The chambermaid has apparently just said something and is leaning forward giving emotional support. Vermeer gives no background or other clues, but concentrates on the precise moment, leaving the viewer with questions." The yellow satin jacket, trimmed with ermine fur, is found in five of Vermeer's paintings"; it appears in Young Woman Writing a Letter, Lady with a String of Pearls, Woman with a Lute, and Woman Playing the Guitar;". After Vermeer's death in 1675, the painting probably ended up with Pieter van Ruijven. Like many of the artist's works, this painting [...]

 

This artwork is a painting from the classical period. It belongs to the baroque style.

 

« Lady Writing a letter with her maid » is kept at National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.

 

Find the full description of Lady Writing a letter with her maid by Johannes Vermeer on Wikipedia.