The Milkmaid (Vermeer)

Milkmaid is one of Jan Vermeer created in the years 1658 to 1660 oil paintings. The 45.5 centimeters high and 41 centimeters wide picture shows a maid when transferring milk. Since 1908, the work is in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Image description

In the center of the image the woman is in the light incident through a window on the left. In front of her is in the left foreground of the picture, just under the window, a table, covered with a cloth and equipped with a basket of bread, a jug, and other foods. In addition, on the table a bowl into which the maid pours milk. Her gaze is lowered, focused on the activity. Their clothing was painted in bright, bright colors. The yellow upper part stands in contrast to the blue of the skirt under the poking a long red skirt. The space in the background is spartan, the rear wall provided with recognizable and empty holes, which gives it the appearance of a use for a long time.

With X-ray examinations of the image was shown that Vermeer had originally intended the representation of a map on the bare wall. By painting over this luxurious for its time object he reiterated the easy setup of the room.

Provenance

The Milkmaid is one of the most famous paintings by Vermeer and gained early high esteem. This was reflected, for example, the relatively high price of 175 guilders at the sale of the estate of Jan Vermeer down, as well as a description of the picture from the year 1719 as the famous Milkmaid of Vermeer of Delft, artful. As a result, the picture changed hands several times until it was purchased in 1908 with 39 other paintings of Jan Six Collection of the Rijksmuseum.