Study of a Young Woman  1667

by Johannes Vermeer

This may be one of the three paintings by Vermeer that were described in an Amsterdam auction of 1696 as "A 'face' in an antique dress, uncommonly artful." Although a live model must have been employed, the artist's goal was not portraiture but a study of character and expression. Dutch pictures of this type, called tronies, often feature curious costumes and artistic effe...
Size: 
17 1/2 x 15 3/4 in. (44.5 x 40 cm)
Medium: 
Oil on canvas
Credit: 
Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art