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Stories Behind Selected Paintings of Jan Vermeer and his Contemporaries

Explore the intriguing tales behind iconic paintings by Jan Vermeer and his peers from the 17th century. Uncover the historical significance and fascinating details that enrich these timeless artworks. Discover the global influences and cultural intricacies woven into each masterpiece.

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Stories Behind Selected Paintings of Jan Vermeer and his Contemporaries

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  1. Stories Behind Selected Paintings of Jan Vermeer and his Contemporaries The Dawn of the Global World in the 17th Century Dieter Merkl dieter.merkl@ec.tuwien.ac.at Electronic Commerce Group Institut für Softwaretechnik und Interaktive Systeme Technische Universität Wien Favoritenstraße 9-11/188-1 . 1040 Wien . Austria/Europe Fax: +43 (1) 58801 - 18899 http://www.ec.tuwien.ac.at/~dieter/

  2. View on Delft • Jan Vermeer • ~ 1660 • 96.5 × 117.5 cm, Oil on canvas • Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, NLhttp://www.mauritshuis.nl/

  3. Notes • tombstone in the Old Church of Delft • “View on Delft” was painted from the south, Vermeer must have had access to a somewhat elevated position • the tower of the New Church is shining in the sun • following to the left we see the tower of the Old Church

  4. Notes (2) • in the left foreground we see a passenger ship with some people waiting to get on board • two ships tied together on the right side of the picture are used for catching herrings • herrings have moved southwards into the North Sea because of a period of global cooling in the 17th century • the cooling was also responsible for the plague epidemics in that time

  5. Officer and a Laughing Girl • Jan Vermeer • ~ 1657 • 50.5 × 46 cm, Oil on canvas • Frick Collection, New York, USAhttp://www.frick.org/

  6. Notes • in the picture we see a soldier talking to a girl alone in a room • on the wall we see a map of the Netherlands • the map is oriented towards the west with land colored blue and water colored brown • for comparison see a map of the Netherlands from 1658

  7. Notes (2) • the soldier is wearing an impressive hat made from beaver felt • the fur of beaver was treasured for making stable and water resistant hats • beaver population, however, was reduced due to hunting • so, alternatively, hats were made from felted sheep wool, not as stable as beaver though

  8. Notes (3) • beaver fur came to Europe from North America (Canada) - in exchange for knives • contact with native American population because of the search for a land passage to China through America

  9. Girl Reading a Letter by an Open Window • Jan Vermeer • ~ 1657 • 83 × 64.5 cm, Oil on canvas • Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germanyhttp://www.skd-dresden.de/en/museen/alte_meister.html

  10. A Maid Asleep • Jan Vermeer • ~ 1657 • 87.6 x 76.5 cm, Oil on canvas • Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USAhttp://www.metmuseum.org/

  11. Girl Interrupted in Her Music • Jan Vermeer • ~ 1658 • 78 x 67 cm, Oil on canvas • Herzog Anton-Ulrich Museum, Braunschweig, Germanyhttp://www.museum-braunschweig.de/

  12. Woman With a Pearl Necklace • Jan Vermeer • ~ 1662 • 55 x 45 cm, Oil on canvas • Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germanyhttp://www.smb.museum/

  13. Reading Woman • Pieter Janssens Elinga (1623 - ~1682) • ? • 75.5 x 63.5 cm, Oil on canvas • Alte Pinakothek, München, Germanyhttp://www.pinakothek.de/alte-pinakothek/

  14. The Lute Player • Hans Hendrick Maertensz (~1610 - 1670) • 1661 • 52 x 39 cm, Oil on panel • Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlandshttp://www.rijksmuseum.nl/

  15. Notes • we see a woman reading a letter by an open window • it is a love letter, x-ray showed that Vermeer originally had a Cupid on the wall, which he omitted in the final painting • it is the same room as in “Officer and a Laughing Girl” and the woman is wearing the same dress • note the mirroring effect of the window

  16. Notes (2) • in the foreground we see a table • a Turkish carpet is moved aside, the carpet was too precious to cover the floor • on the table we see a bowl with fruit • the bowl is porcelain made in China • porcelain appears also in other paintings of Vermeer and his time • contemporary “Girl Reading …” made with Lego pieces

  17. Notes (3) • porcelain from China was valued in Europe • much finer than European tableware made of clay • Chinese salesmen sold pieces that did not meet the Chinese standard of beauty • some pieces were even built for the European market, e.g. bowls for soup the were considerably larger than the ones for the Chinese market

  18. The Geographer • Jan Vermeer • 1668 • 53 x 46.6 cm, Oil on canvas • Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, Germanyhttp://www.staedelmuseum.de/

  19. The Astronomer • Jan Vermeer • 1668 • 50 x 45 cm, Oil on canvas • Musée du Louvre, Paris, Francehttp://www.louvre.fr/

  20. The Astronomer • Gerrit Dou (1613 - 1675) • 1650 • 27 x 29 cm, Oil on panel • Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden, The Netherlandshttp://www.lakenhal.nl/

  21. Notes • we see a person that is completely absorbed by his work • on the table we see a map • the geographer is holding a divider • he looks up in a moment of reflection • other maps are on the left in front of the windows and on the floor • on a cupboard we see a globe, made by Hendrik Hondius

  22. Notes (2) • the person possibly is Antony van Leeuwenhoek, a draper, surveyor and scholar on Delft • he appears also in “The Astronomer” by Vermeer • Antony van Leeuwenhoek acted as executor when Vermeer’s widow Catharina announces insolvency

  23. Notes (3) • the knowledge of the world was constantly increasing during the 17th century • geographers were integrating the observations of sailors to produce ever more exact maps • many ships wrecked because of incomplete knowledge of the world • the latitude was quite easy to determine for the navigator, the longitude was not until the 18th century • as an example a page of the Hondius-Atlas

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