Explore the Composition of this artwork.
The painting as seen for nearly 300 years depicts a young Dutch blonde girl standing at an open window, in profile, reading a letter. A red drapery hangs over the top of the window glass, which has opened inward and which, in its lower right quadrant, reflects her. A tasseled ochre drapery in the foreground right, partially closed, masks a quarter of the room in which she stands. The color of the drape reflects the green of the woman's gown and the shades of the fruit tilted in a bowl on the red-draped table. On the table beside the bowl, a peach is cut in half, revealing its pit.
X-ray examination of the painting in the 21st century revealed an image on the wall behind the girl. Further work by conservator Christoph Schölzel in 2017 revealed that varnish on that part of the painting differed from the rest of the painting, and was clearly applied after Vermeer died. In 2019, it was decided by the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (State Arts Collection in Dresden) to restore the painting to its original composition by Vermeer. The painting of Cupid on the wall behind the girl resembles a painting from Vermeer’s own collection of art, a painting by Cesar van Everdingen.The restoration provides an opportunity to reconsider the painting. The painting of Cupid on the wall may suggest that the girl is reading a love letter. Stephan Koja, director of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), said in a statement that “Beyond the superficially amorous context, it is a fundamental statement about the essence of true love.”
Cesar van Everdingen Dresden ochre Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister Cupid Gemäldegalerie Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden