Vermeer

One of the greatest painters in history, Johannes Vermeer has been justifiably regarded as the master of light.

There is a thorough biography of him on Wikipedia, with a gallery of selected paintings. But for absolutely everything Vermeer visit the Essential Vermeer website.

He can be seen in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, at numerous museums in Germany, at both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Frick Museum in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, at the National Gallery in London, and at the Louvre.

One of the largest exhibitions ever of Vermeer paintings will take place at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam from February 10 to June 4, 2023.

I saw Girl with the Red Hat, Woman Holding a Balance and A Lady Writing a Letter at the National Gallery in Washington. Of those my favourite is Woman Holding a Balance. I saw A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal and A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal at the National Gallery in London. The latter is not only my favourite Vermeer that I've seen but my favourite painting. I would like to get a very high quality copy. I saw Christ in the House of Martha and Mary at the National Gallery of Scotland. Unmistakably Vermeer but not as refined as other works I’ve seen, nor is it a subject matter I am interested in.

At the Rijksmuseum I saw Young Woman Seated at a Virginal. It was okay, as was View of Houses in Delft. The Love Letter and Woman Reading a Letter were both very good. But the absolute favourite was The Milkmaid which has so much more to it in person than my print shows. Just loved it! It may now overtake A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal as my favourite.
I saw again Girl with the Red Hat (after seeing it at the National Gallery in Washington years ago) and was disappointed on how course the lace on her throat is rendered, even at a proper (or greater) viewing distance. It's a though he didn't finish it.

I saw Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin. It was very good.

Woman Holding a Balance

Locations by country:

Holland
The Little Street - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Love Letter - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Milkmaid - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Woman Reading a Letter - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Diana and Her Companions - Mauritshuis, The Hague
Girl with a Pearl Earring - Mauritshuis, The Hague
View of Delft - Mauritshuis, The Hague

GERMANY
The Wine Glass - Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Woman with a Pearl Necklace - Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window - Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
The Procuress - Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
The Girl with the Wine Glass - Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, Braunschweig
The Geographer - Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

UK
Lady Seated at a Virginal - National Gallery, London
Lady Standing at a Virginal - National Gallery, London
The Music Lesson - Royal Collection, London
The Guitar Player - Kenwood House, London, England
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary - National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

FRANCE
The Astronomer - Louvre, Paris
The Lacemaker - Louvre, Paris

AUSTRIA
The Allegory of Painting - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 

IRELAND
Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid - Nation Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

USA
A Lady Writing a Letter - National Gallery of Art, Washington
Girl with the Red Hat - Nation Gallery of Art, Washington
Woman Holding a Balance - National Gallery of Art, Washington
The Allegory of Faith - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
A Girl Asleep - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Portrait of a Young Woman - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Woman with a Lute - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Woman with a Water Jug - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Girl Interrupted at Her Music - Frick Collection, New York
Mistress and Maid - Frick Collection, New York
Officer with a Laughing Girl - Frick Collection, New York

Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons.