Who is Girl with a Pearl Earring?

This painting, painted by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, is considered one of Vermeer's masterpieces. It is known that the work, measuring 44.5 cm x 39 cm, was completed in 1665. It is known that the painting, which is currently exhibited in Mauritshuis, The Hague, and was painted during the Dutch Golden Age, coincides with the times when the Netherlands was the most developed country in science, commerce, and art.

The work, whose focal point is a pearl earring as the name suggests, is also known as the Mona Lisa of the North or the Dutch Mona Lisa. Although it is not clear who inspired the author, the details of whether the woman's smile in the painting is innocent or seductive and why she is wearing pearl earrings remain secret.

Johannes Vermeer (October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. During his lifetime, he was a moderately successful provincial genre painter, recognized in Delft and The Hague. He produced relatively few paintings, primarily earning his living as an art dealer. He was not wealthy at his death, leaving his wife in debt.

Although the innocent look of a beautiful young girl over her shoulder and her side smile raise questions that she could be the painter's daughter, it is stated that this is not possible considering the girl's age.

Vermeer, the painter of the painting, was a slow painter who created 35 works throughout his twenty-year career. It is thought that the artist, who could not earn much money from his paintings throughout his life, reflected his complex inner world on canvas with his famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Girl with a Pearl Earring (Dutch: Meisje met de parel) is an oil painting by Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer, dated c. 1665. Going by various names over the centuries, it became known by its present title towards the end of the 20th century after the earring worn by the girl portrayed there. The work has been in the collection of the Mauritshuis in The Hague since 1902 and has been the subject of various literary and cinematic treatments.

Although it did not attract anyone's attention for a long time in the first years of its painting, it was purchased by the Dutch collector Des Tombe in 1881 and bequeathed to the Mauritshuis Museum. The identity of the model in the painting, whose current market value is quite high, and what emotion the expression on her face reflects have been the focus of debate by art lovers for a long time. The failure to solve this incident led to books being written and movies about the painting being made.

The Story of the Girl with a Pearl Earring Painting

As we mentioned before, although the story of the painting is not fully known, the most commonly told possible scenario is that the young woman in the painting is the painter's maid. It can be said that the story began when this woman, who is thought to have settled as a servant with the painter in the 17th century Netherlands to earn a living after her father went blind, showed interest in the paintings in the painter's workshop. As Vermeer was impressed by the woman's interest in her paintings, he showed her her works closely in his workshop and taught her how to mix colors, and a closeness developed between them, and this was observed by the household.

This situation was met with jealousy, especially by the painter's wife and daughter, who were banned from entering the workshop. It is assumed that this famous work was created when the painter did not pay much attention to the rumors and offered the young woman to be the model in the painting after receiving a painting order from a wealthy man. Although the painter tried to paint the painting after a long effort, he felt that something was missing and completed the painting by taking his wife's pearl earrings. Although it is known that his wife kicked the young woman out of the house after learning about this incident, what happened to this famous woman afterward remains a mystery.

What Does the Girl with the Pearl Earring Say?

This work, which gives a feeling of familiarity when viewed from the outside, bears the artist's signature as it is an extraordinary work that looks ordinary. The fact that Baroque painter Vermeer drew a woman and kept her alive in his painting indicates that he included women in the social order and reminded her of her social rights through a painting. The fact that he draws a commoner instead of aristocratic wives or nuns who were in the higher classes of that period in the social order also reveals a rebellion.

One of the reasons why so little is known about the painting is that it is Tronie, not a portrait. It has been concluded by art historians that this work is a Tronie because the expressions are stronger. It is seen that it includes baroque art, shadow movements, instant expressions, and many emotions. Although it is claimed in the story of the painting that an offer was made to the model upon ordering a painting, the fact that the work is Tronie supports the view that the painting was not commissioned, but rather to prove the artist's own talent. The Girl with a Pearl Earring painting, which managed to become one of the most famous works of all periods by containing many secrets, has managed to go down in history as the best Tronie that the art of painting has ever seen.