A Maid Asleep
ca. 1656–57
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
34 1/2 x 30 1/8 in. (87.6 x 76.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
Accession Number
14.40.611
Tags
About this artwork
Johannes Vermeer's "A Maid Asleep" (c. 1656-57) represents the Dutch master's first exploration of domestic interior scenes, a genre he would perfect over his brief twenty-year career. The 34½ by 30⅛ inch oil on canvas depicts a young woman sleeping at a table, her head resting on her hand, surrounded by props suggesting recent company or romantic encounter. Technical examination revealed hidden elements: Vermeer originally painted a man in the background doorway and a dog looking at him, later ...
About the Artist
Johannes Vermeer · 1632–1675
Johannes Vermeer, baptized on October 31, 1632, in Delft, Dutch Republic, was born into a middle-class family; his father, Reijnier Janszoon, worked as an innkeeper and art dealer, while his mother, Digna Baltens, hailed from Antwerp. After his father's death in 1652, Vermeer took over the family art business. In 1653, he married Catharina Bolnes, a Catholic woman from a wealthier family, converti...