Jan Vermeer Woman Reading a Letter by the Window Socks

Jan Vermeer's "Letter Reader (or Letter-Reading Girl) at an Open Window" is one of the world's most famous works from the "Golden Age" of Dutch painting. It shows a young blond girl standing in the light of an open window reading a letter. A red curtain hangs over the inward-opening window, with the girl's reflection in its lower right quadrant. An ochre curtain in the foreground on the right, which is partly closed, hides part of the room in which the girl is standing. The light from the window highlights the fruit in a tilted bowl, the luxurious carpet and the halved peach. Scientific research and x-rays of the canvas revealed that Vermeer had once depicted a naked Cupid on the wall in this painting. For whatever reason, someone in the 18th century painted over the image of Cupid with the blank wall that can be seen in this image of the painting.

© gemaeldegalerie.skd.museum

Material composition: 83% cotton, 15% polyamide, 2% elastane
Country of origin: India