The esthetic tastes of the modern day 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. Johannes (Jan) Vermeer (also known as 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.
c.1654-1655. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK.
c.1655-1656. Oil on canvas. Mauritshuis, the Hague, Netherlands. Read Note.
1656. Oil on canvas. Alte Meister Gallerie, Dresden, Germany.
c.1657. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
c.1657. Oil on canvas. Alte Meister Gallerie, Dresden, Germany.
c.1657-1658. Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
c.1658. Oil on canvas. The Frick Collection, New York, USA.
c.1658-1660. Oil on canvas. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemaldegalerie, Berlin, Germany.
c.1658-1660. Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
c.1659-1660. Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Brunswick.
c.1660-1661. Oil on canvas. The Frick Collection, New York, USA.
c.1660-1661. Oil on canvas. Mauritshuis, the Hague, Netherlands.
c.1662-1665. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, St. James' Palace, UK.
c.1662-1664. Oil on canvas. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
c.1662-1664. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA.
c.1664. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
c.1664. Oil on canvas. Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemaldegalerie, Berlin, Germany.
c.1664-1665. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
c.1665-1666. Oil on canvas. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA, USA.
c.1665-1670. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA.
Vermeer of Delft by. Yu. Zolotov. Moscow. 1995.
Painting of Western Europe. XVII century. by E. Rotenberg. Moscow. Iskusstvo. 1989.
Painting of Europe. XIII-XX centuries. Encyclopedic Dictionary. Moscow. Iskusstvo. 1999.
Vermeer: A View of Delft by Anthony Bailey. Henry Holt & Company, Inc., 2001.
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. Plume, 2001.
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland. Penguin USA, 2000.
Vermeer: The Complete Works by Arthur K., Jr Wheelock, Johannes Vermeer. Harry N Abrams, 1997.