Young Woman with a Water Pitcher
ca. 1662
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
18 x 16 in. (45.7 x 40.6 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889
Accession Number
89.15.21
Tags
About this artwork
Johannes Vermeer's "Young Woman with a Water Pitcher" (c. 1662) stands as one of the Dutch Golden Age's most serene and luminous achievements, and holds the distinction of being the first Vermeer painting to enter an American collection. Purchased by Henry Gurdon Marquand in Paris in 1887 for $800, this intimate domestic scene measures just 18 by 16 inches yet demonstrates Vermeer's unparalleled mastery of light, color, and spatial harmony. A woman stands at an open window beginning her morning ...
Art Historical Context
Johannes Vermeer's *Young Woman with a Water Pitcher* (c. 1662) captures the quiet elegance of Dutch Golden Age domestic life in oil on canvas, a medium that allowed Vermeer's genius for light and texture to shine. just 18 by 16 inches, this intimate scene depicts a young woman an open window, beginning morning routine with a gleaming gilt silver pitcher and basin Her simple blue dress and protective white linen coverings evoke everyday purity, symbolized by the water vessels—a motif rich in Dutch art traditions. Vermeer's mastery lies in his subtle artistry: diffused natural light floods the...
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...