Johannes Vermeer

baroque

Vermeer Paintings 1632 - 1675 Netherlands, Baroque Painter

Mistress and Maid, 1670

Oil on canvas, 90x78 cm

The Frick Collection

Figurative Art

19 from 19

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OIL PAINTING: Mistress and Maid, 1670
The mistress, sitting at a table and turned to the left, wears the same yellow jacket with an ermine border as the Lady Writing a Letter. The maid interrupts her writing and hands her a letter. Both figures are close to the foreground, strongly illuminated, and standing out against the dark background, which lacks further adornment and remains undefined.
For Vermeer, Mistress and Maid is an unusually large composition, which focuses on a moment of interaction and interruption, rather than on a contemplation of stillness and introvert thoughtfulness. This new approach enhances the monumentality of the scene.