Woman Reading a Letter

Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675), oil on canvas, c. 1663

Enjoying a quiet, private moment, this young woman is absorbed in reading a letter in the morning light. She is still wearing her blue night jacket. All of the colours in the composition are secondary to its radiant lapis lazuli blue. Vermeer recorded the effects of light with extraordinary precision. Particularly innovative is his rendering of the woman’s skin with pale grey, and the shadows on the wall using light blue.

Artwork typepainting
Object numberSK-C-251
Dimensionsheight 70 cm x width 63 cm, height 46.5 cm x width 39 cm x depth 6.5 cm
Physical characteristicsolieverf op doek

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The Love Letter

Identification

Title(s)
- Woman Reading a Letter
- Woman in Blue Reading a Letter
Object type
Object number
SK-C-251
Description
Brieflezende vrouw. Een jonge vrouw, staande bij een tafel met stoelen, leest een brief. Achter haar hangt aan de muur een landkaart op rollen.
Catalogue reference
- Karin Leonhard, 'Vermeer's Pregnant Women : On Human Generation an Pictorial Representation', Art History 25 (2002) nr. 3, p. 293-318.
- M.A. Castor, 'Augenblick und Zeitfluss : Bemerkungen zu einigen Konstanten in der Malerei Jan Vermeers', Pantheon 54 (1996), p. 91.
- K. Clark, Connaissance des Arts (1974), p. 78.
- 'Vermeer', bijlage Vrij Nederland, 24 februari 1996, nr. 8.
- Daniel A. Fink, 'Vermeer's Use of the Camera Obscura : A Comparative Study', The Art Bulletin 53 (1971), p. 493-505.
- K. Zandvliet, 'In plaets van schilderijen', Vitrine (1996) mrt./apr., p. 16-17.
- James A. Welu, 'Vermeer : his cartographic sources', The Art Bulletin 57 (1975), p. 532-533, 541, afb. 3.
- Liza Burmeister Kaaring, 'Tracking the Language of Stillness', SMK Artjournal : Statens Museum for Kunst (2007), p. 108-115, p. 112, afb. 6.
- A.B. de Vries, Openbaar Kunstbezit 9 (1965), nr. 39.
- H. van Gelder, 'Haagsche Kunstverzamelingen voor 1900', Die Haghe (1942), p. 26, afb. 9.
- R. Roos, 'Johannes Vermeer', Vernisage (1996) mrt., p. 12.
- W. Thoré-Bürger, Gazette des Beaux-Arts (1866)

Creation

Creation
painter: Johannes Vermeer
Dating
c. 1663
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Material and technique

Physical description
olieverf op doek
Material
Dimensions
- height 70 cm x width 63 cm
- height 46.5 cm x width 39 cm x depth 6.5 cm

This work is about

Subject

Exhibitions

Acquisition and rights

Credit line
On loan from the City of Amsterdam (A. van der Hoop Bequest)
Copyright
Public domain
Provenance
…; ? sale Pieter van der Lip (1655-1712), Amsterdam, 14 June 1712, no. 22, fl. 110;{Hoet and Terwesten 1752-1770, vol. 1 (1752), p. 147.} …; ? collection Mozes de Chaves (1718-1762), Amsterdam, 1759;{In Meijer 1947, p. 12 an inventory is included of the collection Mozes de Chaves: `Staat en Inventaris van den Boedel en Nalatenschap van Wijlen de Heer Mozes de Chaves´ on which the painting is mentioned as follows: `Een blauwe Meisje door Vermeer van Delft´.} his sale, Amsterdam (H. de Winter and J. Yver), 30 November 1772 sqq., no. 23, as `Van der Neer (de Delfsche)´, fl. 40, to the dealer Fouquet;{Exh.cat. Dresden 2021, p. 230; Copy Cabinet des Estampes, Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.} …; sale Pieter Lyonet (1706-1789, The Hague), Amsterdam (P.B. Bunel et al.), 11 April 1791 sqq., no. 181, fl. 43, to the dealer P. Fouquet;{Copy RKD.} …; anonymous sale, Amsterdam (P. van der Schley et al.), 14 August 1793 sqq., no. 73, fl. 70;{Copy RKD; in Liedtke 2008 incorrectly as no. 739.} …; sale Herman ten Kate (1741-1800, The Hague), Amsterdam (P. van der Schley et al.), 10 June 1801 sqq., no. 118, fl. 110, to Taijs;{Copy RKD.} …; sale Auguste-Louis-Cesar-Hyppolite-Theodore de L´Espinasse de Langeac (1759-1814), Paris (A. Paillet and H. Delaroche), 16 January 1809 sqq., no. 85, fr. 200, to Augustin Lapeyrière (1779-1831), Paris;{Copy Philadelphia Museum of Art.} his sale, Paris (M. Lacoste), 19 April 1825 sqq., no. 127, fr. 2,060 or fr. 1,060, to Berthaud;{Copy RKD1; copy Philadelphia Museum of Art.} …; the dealer John Smith, London, 1831;{Sebag-Montefiore and Armstrong-Totten 2013, p. 30, n.27.} by whom, £73 10 s, to Adriaan van der Hoop (1778-1854), Amsterdam, 1839;{Ibid., p. 22.} by whom bequeathed to the Academie voor Schone Kunsten, Amsterdam; transferred to the City of Amsterdam, 1885; on loan to the museum since 1885

Documentation

- Karin Leonhard, 'Vermeer's Pregnant Women : On Human Generation an Pictorial Representation', Art History 25 (2002) nr. 3, p. 293-318.
- M.A. Castor, 'Augenblick und Zeitfluss : Bemerkungen zu einigen Konstanten in der Malerei Jan Vermeers', Pantheon 54 (1996), p. 91.
- K. Clark, Connaissance des Arts (1974), p. 78.
- 'Vermeer', bijlage Vrij Nederland, 24 februari 1996, nr. 8.
- Daniel A. Fink, 'Vermeer's Use of the Camera Obscura : A Comparative Study', The Art Bulletin 53 (1971), p. 493-505.
- K. Zandvliet, 'In plaets van schilderijen', Vitrine (1996) mrt./apr., p. 16-17.
- James A. Welu, 'Vermeer : his cartographic sources', The Art Bulletin 57 (1975), p. 532-533, 541, afb. 3.
- Liza Burmeister Kaaring, 'Tracking the Language of Stillness', SMK Artjournal : Statens Museum for Kunst (2007), p. 108-115, p. 112, afb. 6.
- A.B. de Vries, Openbaar Kunstbezit 9 (1965), nr. 39.
- H. van Gelder, 'Haagsche Kunstverzamelingen voor 1900', Die Haghe (1942), p. 26, afb. 9.
- R. Roos, 'Johannes Vermeer', Vernisage (1996) mrt., p. 12.
- W. Thoré-Bürger, Gazette des Beaux-Arts (1866)