Detail of the painting The Procuress (c. 1656), proposed self portrait by Vermeer[1]

The following is a list of paintings by the Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675). After two or three early history paintings, he concentrated almost entirely on genre works, typically interiors with one or two figures. His popularity is due less to his subject matter than to the poetic manner in which he portrays his subjects and that he lived a very difficult life. Vermeer's paintings of the 1660s are generally more popular than his work from the 1670s: in the eyes of some, his later work is colder.[2]

Today, 34 paintings are firmly attributed to him, with question marks over a further three.[3] This compares to the 74 pictures attributed to him by Théophile Thoré-Bürger in 1866. Vermeer's reputation increased greatly during the latter half of the 20th century, a period during which the number of paintings ascribed to him shrank greatly.[4] This is partly because he has been one of the most widely forged artists, and many forgeries have now been identified. No drawings or preparatory paintings are known.[5] Many Vermeer paintings are known by various names, and alternative names are noted below. Years of creation are only estimates for most of the paintings, and sources often give different, though not widely divergent, estimates. In addition to the known paintings listed below, historical documents seem to describe at least six other, lost, works.[5]

Paintings by Johannes Vermeer

Image Title Year Size Location
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary[6] 1654–55
or c. 1654–56[7] or c. 1655[8]		 Oil on canvas, 160 × 142 cm National Gallery of Scotland,

Edinburgh

Saint Praxedis[9] 1655[3] Oil on canvas, 101.6 x 82.6 cm Kufu Company Inc., Tokyo
On loan to the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
Diana and Her Companions[10] 1655–56
or c. 1653–54[7][8]		 Oil on canvas, 98.5 × 105 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague
The Procuress[11] 1656 (signed and dated) Oil on canvas, 143 × 130 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window[12]
(also known as Young Woman Reading a Letter at an Open Window[7]) 		1657 (or c. 1657–59[7]) Oil on canvas, 83 × 64.5 cm Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
A Girl Asleep
(also known as A Maid Asleep[7][8]) 		1657
(or 1656–57[7][8]) 		Oil on canvas, 87.6 × 76.5 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Little Street 1657–58
or c. 1658[7] or c. 1658–60[8] 		Oil on canvas, 54.3 × 44 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Officer with a Laughing Girl
(also known as Officer and Laughing Girl)[7] 		c. 1657[7] Oil on canvas, 50.5 × 46 cm Frick Collection, New York
The Milkmaid c. 1658[7] or c. 1657–58[8] Oil on canvas, 45.5 × 41 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Wine Glass, also known as A Lady Drinking and a Gentleman and The Glass of Wine[8] 1658–60 or 1658–59[8] Oil on canvas, 39.4 × 44.5 cm Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
The Girl with the Wineglass c. 1659 Oil on canvas, 78 × 67.5 cm Herzog Anton-Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig
View of Delft[13] 1659–60 Oil on canvas, 98.5 × 117.5 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague
Girl Interrupted at Her Music 1660–61 (or 1658–59[7]) Oil on canvas, 39.4 × 44.5 cm Frick Collection, New York
Woman Reading a Letter 1663–64 (or 1657–59[7]) Oil on canvas, 46.6 × 39.1 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Music Lesson
(also known as A Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman) 		1662/65 Oil on canvas, 73.3 × 64.5 cm Royal Collection, Buckingham Palace, England
Woman with a Lute c. 1663–64 or 1662–63[8] Oil on canvas, 51.4 × 45.7 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Woman with a Pearl Necklace 1662–64 Oil on canvas, 55 × 45 cm Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Woman with a Water Jug, also known as Young Woman with a Water Pitcher[8] 1660–62 or c. 1662[8] Oil on canvas, 45.7 × 40.6 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Woman Holding a Balance, also known as Woman with a Balance[8] 1662–63 or c. 1663–64[8] Oil on canvas, 42.5 × 38 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington
A Lady Writing a Letter 1665–66 Oil on canvas, 45 × 40 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington
Girl with a Pearl Earring,
also known as Girl in a Turban, Head of Girl in a Turban, The Young Girl with Turban, and Head of a Young Girl. 		c. 1665 Oil on canvas, 46.5 × 40 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague
The Concert 1665–66 Oil on canvas, 72.5 × 64.7 cm Missing since its theft from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston in 1990[14]
Portrait of a Young Woman, also known as Study of a Young Woman 1666–67 or c. 1665–67[8] Oil on canvas, 44.5 × 40 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Allegory of Painting,
also known as The Art of Painting 		1666–67 or c. 1666–68[8] Oil on canvas, 100 × 120 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Mistress and Maid,
also known as Lady with her Maidservant Holding a Letter 		1667/68 Oil on canvas, 90.2 × 78.7 cm Frick Collection, New York
Girl with a Red Hat (attribution to Vermeer has been questioned)[15] 1668 or c. 1665–67[8] Oil on panel, 22.8 × 18 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington
The Astronomer 1668 Oil on canvas, 50.8 × 46.3 cm Louvre, Paris
The Geographer 1668/69 Oil on canvas, 53 × 46.6 cm Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main
The Lacemaker 1669/70 Oil on canvas, 24.5 × 21 cm Louvre, Paris
The Love Letter 1669/70 Oil on canvas, 44 × 38.5 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals[9] c. 1670[3] Oil on canvas, 25.2 × 20 cm Leiden Collection, United States
Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid 1670 Oil on canvas, 71.1 × 58.4 cm National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
The Allegory of Faith, also known as Allegory of the Faith[8] 1671–74 or c. 1670–72[8] Oil on canvas, 114.3 × 88.9 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
The Guitar Player 1672 Oil on canvas, 53 × 46.3 cm Kenwood House, London, England
Lady Standing at a Virginal, also known as Young Woman Standing at a Virginal[8] 1673–75 or c. 1670–72[8] Oil on canvas, 51.7 × 45.2 cm National Gallery, London
Lady Seated at a Virginal, also known as Young Woman Seated at a Virginal[8] 1673–75 or c. 1670–72[8] Oil on canvas, 51.5 × 45.5 cm National Gallery, London

Disputed paintings

Image Title Year Size Location
Girl with a Flute, said to be by a "friend" or imitator of Vermeer by the National Gallery, however the Rijksmuseum claims it to be authentic[16][9] 1665–70[3] Oil on panel, 20 x 17.8 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Lost works

Historical documents such as auction records suggest that Vermeer painted a number of other works, now presumably destroyed, lost to public view, or possibly wrongly attributed to other artists.[5] While a list of these lost Vermeers must necessarily be tentative, it may include:

Footnotes

  1. ^ "The Procuress: Evidence for a Vermeer Self-Portrait". Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  2. ^ Bonafoux, 124
  3. ^ a b c d Jonathan Janson, Essential Vermeer: complete Vermeer catalogue accessed 16 June 2010
  4. ^ Bonafoux, 144
  5. ^ a b c d Jon Boone, Essential Vermeer: How many Vermeer's? [sic] accessed 22 January 2010
  6. ^ Wheelock, 48
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l or c. 1655Cant, Serena (2009). Vermeer and His World 1632–1675. Quercus Publishing Plc. ISBN 978-1-84866-001-4.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Liedtke, Walter; et al. (2001). Vermeer and the Delft School. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Yale University Press, New Haven. ISBN 0-300-08848-5.
  9. ^ a b c "Rijksmuseum upgrades three Vermeers ahead of blockbuster show—but not everyone agrees". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  10. ^ Wheelock, 52
  11. ^ Wheelock, 54
  12. ^ Wheelock, 58
  13. ^ Wheelock, 72
  14. ^ Stolen, a documentary about the theft of The Concert, from the PBS website
  15. ^ NGA catalog entry
  16. ^ Rankin, Jennifer (2023-01-02). "When is a Vermeer not a Vermeer? Reputations on the line over authenticity of artwork". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-03-21.

Sources

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