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Charlotte Mason Picture Study Aid Johannes Vermeer

paint on the floor or any other “messes” generally associated with painting also su'est that this was not meant to

be a genre painting.
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• !e girl is most likely meant to represent Clio, muse of history or fame in Greek mythology, and is painted as she

is described by Cesare Ripa in his book, Iconologia (translated to Dutch in 1644): “We shall paint Clio as a girl

with a laurel wreath, holding a trumpet in her right hand and in her le) a book inscribed with the name
THUCYDIDES.” !ucydides wrote the History of the Peloponnesian War and was considered a great historian.
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• Art historians have theorized that Vermeer was equating the writing of history, as in the case of the book, to the
painting of history — both serve as records of events and people from the past. 5

• !e map on the back wall was published by Nicolaes Janszoon Visscher in 1636 and shows all 17 provinces of a

united Netherlands. In 1648, the provinces were formally separated right along the line in the middle where
Vermeer painted a crack in the surface of the map. 6

• It has been su'ested that the plaster cast or mask is there as a reference to antiquity, but also was something
o)en found in artist studios, both for painting and sculpture. It may have also been a reference to the painter

and sculptor’s ability to re-create “the imitation of human activities.”
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• A)er Vermeer’s death, to save this piece from being claimed by creditors, his widow transferred ownership to
her mother thus keeping it in the family.
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• !ough it is not known for certain if the artist depicted is Vermeer himself, the similarities between the hair,

hat, and clothing between this figure and the one on the le) side of !e Procuress (see page 12) who is also thought
to be Vermeer, su'est that it might be. However, Vermeer may have chosen to face the artist away from the
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viewer so he could represent painting in general rather than a specific artist. 5

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