The Procuress (Vermeer)

At the matchmaker is an oil painting by Jan Vermeer from the year 1656. The 143 centimeters high and 130 centimeters wide picture shows a vierfigurige genre scene, which is located in a brothel. It is the first known image of Vermeer today that can be assigned to this genus painting. It is part of the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden.

Image description

The picture shows four At the matchmaker's almost life- size figures that are located behind a body from the chest down occluding barrier. They communicate both with each other and with the viewer. The black-clad old woman, the young girl and she hugging from behind Free form a thematic and compositional unit. The man on the left side, wearing a beret and looks out of the picture is, instead off of the action. He toasts the viewer with a glass in hand and takes a mediating position between him and the events in the picture. He is wearing similar clothing as the man in the painting and held Vermeer for a kind of self -portrait. The suitor just paid, which is clear from the coin in his hand and the open hand of the prostitutes, and uses this with the other hand to her chest. In this case, both are observed by the matchmaker from the background. The young woman and the free form with the yellow, red and white garments the color climax of the image that attracts the eye of the beholder. The woman has a wine glass, standing beside a carafe on the barrier, and is easily flushed. The white lace bonnet is in contrast to her doing your face is emphasized both by the position in the bright light as well as by the optical withdrawal of the head of the suitor. Its features are under the big hat that casts a shadow, only partially visible. To him a few changes have been made by Jan Vermeer during the painting process, which up to then prevailing eye contact between him and the girls made undone especially. He now focuses primarily on the payment, which privatizes the contact between the two. The matchmaker is assigned a negative role by their position in the background and its a little tricky acting glance.

The scene was shown by Vermeer in a space that is defined by a wall in the background and a parapet in the foreground. It could be a balcony or bay window. Above the parapet is a Turkish carpet from Usak. The carpet, almost a third of the painting comprehensive, shows a kilim with medallions and leaves and a fur coat thrown over this. The actual spatial association of persons allowed Vermeer largely unclear. With the barrier, the image is divided into two almost equal parts, whose colors correspond to each other. In addition, the upper half of the image is divided vertically by the contrast of the bright colored figures on the right and the two dark figures held the left. The intersection of the two boundaries emphasizes the central act of paying the suitor.

Models

The picture At the matchmaker draws on different models and uses typical elements of other images with this theme on. Genre painting was widespread in the Netherlands at the time of Jan Vermeer and there were some images that thematically dealing with the brothel and related events. The picture The matchmaker by Dirck van Baburen, one of Utrecht Caravaggists that had arisen 34 years ago At the matchmaker, probably formed the starting point for Jan Vermeer. It was in the collection of his mother and was therefore accessible to him. Between the two images, there are parallels as the large format and the almost life -size figure representation. In addition, content common ground as the man who puts his arm around a young woman and offers a coin, and the observed position of the matchmaker. The biggest differences between the two pictures in the presentation of the figures whose gestures and facial expressions at Vermeer are withdrawn and he is showing frontally. The image Baburen grabbed Vermeer also in two other of his paintings as a window picture again. The position and attitude of the located on the left side man in the image of Vermeer is a role model in the picture brothel scene of Christiaen Gillisz. lived van Couwenbergh from the year 1626. Couwenbergh like Jan Vermeer in Delft, so the possibility exists that Vermeer knew the picture.

Classification in the complete works of Vermeer

Jan Vermeer painted the painting At the matchmaker at the age of 24 years. It marks a change in his work: away from history painting through to genre painting. He changed not only the content of his pictures, which were mainly genre scenes in the episode, but moved in the impact of this image on smaller subjects.

Diana and her Companions, 1655/1656

Milkmaid, 1658-1660

Provenance and attribution

The history of the image At the matchmaker is not traceable over a long period after the death of Vermeer. 1741 came it with other images from the Counts Wallenstein collection from the Bohemian Duchcov to Dresden in the collection of the Art Gallery. The picture with the signature and date ivMeer 1656 led to various write-ups due to their ambiguity. The authors of the inventories arranged it depending on your choice of writing a Giovanni van der Meer, Johann van der Meer and Jean van der Meer. The name of Jean van der Meer was also listed with survival data, which suggest that Jan Vermeer van Haarlem was meant. From 1826, the name Jacob van appeared in the catalogs also on the sea van Utrecht. 1860 saw Wilhelm Schäfer in the descriptive part of its catalog of the collection of the Art Gallery following the painter of the picture the clear part of the signature only as the sea. In addition, Shepherd leads an affiliation to the school of Rembrandt and also points to some write-ups of the image of Jan Vermeer.

Also in 1860, wrote to Théophile Thoré the Dresden Picture Jan Vermeer van Delft. This view has been taken up in the catalog of the paintings gallery two years later.