This page is dedicated to this one of the great Dutch painters, whose life and visions are partly a great mystery. Johannes Vermeer of Delft (1632 – 1675) was one of the most talented painters in the Dutch Golden Age. His work shows everyday life in the city of Delft in the Netherlands. After his death in 1675 his work and life had been forgotten for centuries, rediscovered by in 1880 but now Vermeer is considered to be one of the greatest painters.

Little is known about his life and only a small number of his paintings have been preserved. The only sources of information are some registers, a few official documents and comments by other artists. The following biography attempts to give an impression of the life of this Dutch masterpainter.

Johannes Vermeer was born in 1632, in the city of Delft in The Netherlands. The precise date of his birth is unknown but we do know that he was baptised on the 31st of October, 1632, in the Reformed Church in Delft. His father, Reynier Vermeer, was a silk weaver and an art dealer. He married Johannes' mother, Digna, who was from Antwerp, Belgium, in 1615. Reynier Vermeer's name actually was Reynier Vos (Fox), but he used the name Van der Meer. He was probably the one who introduced the art of painting to the young Johannes. The Vermeer family bought a large house near the market square in Delft in 1641. This house, the "Mechelen", was actually an inn and Reynier Vermeer probably used the place to sell paintings. After his death in 1652, Johannes Vermeer inherited the Mechelen as well as his father's bussiness.

Despite the fact that he was Protestant, he married a Catholic girl, named Catherina Bolnes, in April 1653. He coverted to Catholicism shortly before their marriage. The couple moved in with Catherina's mother, Maria Thins, in 1672. Maria apparently played an important role in their life, for they named their first daughter after her. Maria Thins was a Jesuit and this, too, seems to have influenced Johannes and Catherina, for they called their first son Ignatius, after the patron saint of the Jesuit Order. Johannes and Catherina had fourteen children in total, three of which died before Vermeer.

Vermeer started an apprenticeship to become a painter. It is not certain where he studied and who his teacher was. In general, it is believed that he studied in Delft and that his teacher was either Carel Fabritius (1622 - 1654) or Leonaert Bramer (1596 - 1674). The 29th of December 1653, Vermeer became a member of the Saint Luke's Guilde, which was a trade association for painters. During the Dutch Golden Age, painting was not considered an art, but a craftmanship, a way to make a living. He wasn't able to pay the admition fee right away as records of the Guilde show. In 1662 he was elected head of the Guilde and in 1663, 1670 and 1671 he was elected again.

Because of the economic difficulties in the Netherlands in the late 17th century, the art dealing bussiness went bad for Vermeer. This was one of the reasons Johannes and his family left the Mechelen in 1672, to move in with Maria Thins. When Johannes Vermeer died in 1675, he left Catherina and their children with very little money. Catherina was forced to ask the city council to take over the heritage, which not only included paintings but also great debts. The famous Dutch microscopist, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, who also lived and worked in Delft and worked for the city council, was appointed trustee for the estate in 1676. In the same year, 19 of Vermeer's paintings were bequeathed to Catherina and Maria. Catherina used some of the paintings of her late husband to pay the debts she had.

After his death, Vermeer and his work were forgotten. Nowadays, only a small number of paintings has survived. In Delft, Vermeer was a respected artist but seems to have never sold one of his paintings. The small number of paintings of which we now know they are Vermeer's can be attributed to the fact that he was a very precise painter. His compositions are remarkable and so is his representation of space. His relatively short life and career as an artist is seen as another reason for small Vermeer heritage. It is assumed that many of his paintings were lost after his death. Despite the fact that we only have a small number of paintings, Vermeer is now considered to be one of the greatest Dutch painters.

He created a number of paintings in the 17th century.

Jan Vermeer

(1632-1675)

The esthetic tastes of nowadays rank Jan Vermeer as one of the most original painters of 17th century Holland, despite the fact that he created no more than forty or so paintings. He remained relatively ignored during his own brief lifetime, and only in the 19th century his work was highly appreciated.

Jan Vermeer (or Jan van der Meer, or Jan Vermeer van Delft) was born in 1632, the second child of Reynier Janszoon Vos and Digna Baltens. Reynier, besides his other businesses, was an art dealer and had relations with some artists of his time, including Balthasar van der Ast, Pieter Steenwyck, and Pieter Groenewesen. Maybe these contacts gave the young Vermeer his first artistic inclination. Nothing is known about his training as a painter, but in 1653 he was admitted as a master to the Guild of St. Luke, which united painters in all genres, glass makers, faience makers, embroiderers and art dealers; as a precondition for being admitted was an obligatory six-year training with a master, recognized by the Guild.
On 20 April 1653 Vermeer married Catharina Bolnes, who bore him 15 children, 4 of them died when still very young.
Vermeer probably painted very little for the public art market, most of his work being produced for those patrons who particularly valued his work. This may also account for the modest number of paintings he produced.
Christ in the House of Mary and Martha (c.1654-1655) is one of Vermeer’s earliest paintings. Paintings of biblical themes were classified as histories, which were described in treatises on art as most distinguished tasks. Vermeer probably wanted to demonstrate his abilities in this genre upon entry to the Guild of St. Luke. Diana and Her Companions (c.1655-1656) is another early work by Vermeer; the theme on this occasion derives from mythology. These themes are not typical of Vermeer. He almost always chose as subject matter glimpses of daily life, and almost invariably interiors, though there are in his heritage a couple of views of Delfi: Street in Delfi (c.1657-1658), View of Delfi (c.1660-1661). His paintings are calm with very few figures, generally no more than one or two, usually women alone (women in love, reading or writing love letters, playing musical instruments; women at work). Vermeer offers the most impressive reflection of the sophisticated side of seventeenth-century Dutch life; its love for fine furniture, attractive women, lavish clothing, and maps decorating interiors: The Art of Painting (c.1666-1673), Woman with a Water Jug (c.1664-1665) and others. The role of maps was twofold; on the one hand, they indicated wealth, in the seventeenth century, maps were an expensive luxury; on the other hand, they refer to a good level of education.
Vermeer’s pictures are also moralizing, thus women who had become intoxicated on wine were considered to be the embodiment of sin, and this is a central motif to some of Vermeer’s works: The Glass of Wine (c.1658-1660). Soldier and a Laughing Girl (c.1658), Woman and Two Men (c.1659-1660). On each of these pictures men are trying to seduce young women by giving them wine. Evidently Vermeer supported the view of his time that alcohol was the first step towards whoring and women should be forbidden drink altogether. There are also many hints and symbols in Vermeer’s pictures, which his contemporaries understood, but we, not knowing their meanings, see in his painting artistic representation of the everyday life of those times.
In almost all his pictures Vermeer is experimenting with light, radiant light comes from somewhere beside or behind the canvas. Jewelry gleams prettily in the light; wet lips, bright eyes catch the light; reflections from window glass, kitchen utensils fall on surrounding objects, creating an atmosphere of peace and serenity. Vermeer preferred cool tones of blue, white and yellow: Girl with a Pearl Earring (c.1665), The Milkmaid (c.1658-1660), The Lacemaker (c.1669-1670), Lady Seated at a Virginal (c.1673-1675) and many others.
Only tree of Vermeer's pictures: The Procuress (1656), The Geographer (c.1668-1669) and The Astronomer (c.1668) are dated. Some art historians consider the left man on The Procuress to be the self-portrait of Vermeer. The Geographer and The Astronomer were produced as a pair, and remained together until 1729.
Besides painting Vermeer also worked as an art dealer. He presumably took over the running of his father’s inn, the “Mechelen”, once his father died.
Vermeer’s later years were overshadowed by a dramatic deterioration of his personal financial position. He got into debt. In 1672 war between France and the Netherlands started. The only way the Netherlands could defend them was to open dikes and flood the land, but this ruined the agriculture. Vermeer’s family was among those who suffered financially, because could not get rent for their estate any longer. His wife later commented, “Because of this and because of the large sums of money we had to spend on the children, sums he was no longer able to pay, he fell into such a depression and lethargy that he lost his health in the space of one and a half days and died.” Vermeer was buried on 15 December 1675 in the family grave at the Oude Kerk, Delft.

Artemis – ancient Greek goddess (Roman name Diana) of hunt, daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo. Artemis was always a virgin and eternally young, with no interests beyond hunting. Like her brother, her weapon was the bow. Her arrows inflicted sudden death without pain. She was vindictive and there were many who suffered from her anger.
See: Correggio Diana.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir Diana.
Peter Paul Rubens and Frans Snyders Diana Returning from the Chase.
Jan VermeerDiana and Her Companions.
Callisto – Jupiter, the principle god of Roman mythology (corresponds to Greek Zeus) impregnates the nymph Callisto, who is in retinue of Diana, the chaste goddess, and therefore also sworn to chastity. As they bathe together, the goddess discovers that Callisto is pregnant and rejects her.
See: Titian Diana and Callisto.
Actaeon – the hunter, who came across Diana and her nymphs as they were bathing. As he had seen the chaste goddess naked she turned him into a stag; in the shape of the stag Actaeon was torn apart by his own dogs who failed to recognize him.
See: Thomas Gainsborough Diana and Actaeon.
Titian Diana and Actaeon.
Diana and Endymion. In later times Romans began associate the goddess Diana (Artemis) with Selene (goddess of Moon), who, unlike Diana, was not famous for her chastity. With this Diana/Selene and Endymion, a young shepherd of great beauty, the following legend deals: when Selene saw Endymion, she fell violently in love and seduced him. At Selene’s request Zeus, her father, agreed to fulfill any of his fancy. He chose the eternal sleep, and fell asleep, remaining young forever.
Karl Brulloff.Diana, Endymion, and Satyr.
Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson. Endymion Asleep.
Nicolas Poussin. Diana and Endymion.