Motifs
The subjects and objects that recur across Vermeer’s work — threads that connect his paintings across periods and rooms. Follow a motif to see every work that shares it.
5 works
Tronies
Anonymous studies of a head and an expression, not portraits of named sitters.
4 works
The Yellow Jacket
The fur-trimmed yellow satin jacket Vermeer returned to across a decade of interiors.
4 works
Pearls
The earrings, necklaces, and weighed pearls that gather Vermeer's light.
6 works
Letters
Women reading, writing, and receiving letters behind half-closed doors.
10 works
Music
Virginals, lutes, and guitars in scenes of courtship and concord.
5 works
Maps and Globes
The wall maps and terrestrial globes that open Vermeer's rooms onto a wider world.
4 works
By the Window
Leaded windows and the cool daylight that falls from them on the left.