Vermeer worked in Delft his entire life, painting slowly and in small numbers — probably two or three works a year. Almost all show a single figure in a quiet domestic interior, lit from a window on the left, rendered with a precision of light and texture that took decades for other painters to approach.
He was barely known outside Delft in his lifetime and died deep in debt in 1675, leaving eleven children. His reputation was effectively rebuilt in the 1860s by the French critic Théophile Thoré-Bürger, who tracked down and attributed most of the paintings now recognised as his — before that, several had been sold under other artists’ names.
Vermeer paintings on display, museum by museum
The Louvre
- L'Astronome — Salle 837 (XVIIe siècle et 3e quart du XVIIe siècle (1668 et 1673))
- La Dentellière — Salle 837 (3e quart du XVIIe siècle (vers 1669 - 1670))
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- A Maid Asleep — 964 (ca. 1656–57)
- Allegory of the Catholic Faith — 965 (ca. 1670–72)
- Study of a Young Woman — 964 (ca. 1665–67)
- Young Woman with a Lute — 964 (ca. 1662–63)
- Young Woman with a Water Pitcher — 964 (ca. 1662)
National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh
- Christ in the House of Martha and Mary — National (On Display) (About 1654 - 1655)
The National Gallery, London
- A Young Woman seated at a Virginal — Room 25 (About 1670-2)
- A Young Woman standing at a Virginal — Room 25 (About 1670-2)
- Highlights from the collection — Room 25
National Gallery of Art, Washington
- A Lady Writing — M-050-A (c. 1665)
- Girl with the Red Hat — M-050-A (c. 1669)
- Woman Holding a Balance — M-050-A (c. 1664)
Rooms and display status checked against each museum’s own collection database.
Listen to the commentary in the gallery
This list tells you where to look. In front of the actual painting, CulturAll adds the audio commentary: photograph the work or its label, listen, then ask your questions.
