Vermeer's Milkmaid reveals new discoveries. She will be at the major exhibition on the painter in 2023

Recent research on Vermeer ’s painting The Milkmaid, conducted ahead of a major exhibition dedicated to the famous Dutch painter to be held at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam from Feb. 10 to June 4, 2023, has revealed some discoveries about the famous painting. Advanced technologies uncovered two objects on Vermeer’s canvas: a pitcher and a brazier. Vermeer then painted over the objects. More recent scans have also revealed what is clearly a background painting. These discoveries offer revealing insights into Vermeer’s creative process. Important new discoveries about one of Vermeer’s most famous works, completed more than 350 years ago.

Some twenty-seven Vermeer paintings, on loan from the world’s leading museums, will be on display for the upcoming major exhibition: the Frick Collection in New York will lend all three of the artist’s paintings. Also featured will be The Girl with the Pearl Earring (Mauritshuis, The Hague), The Geographer (Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main), Woman Writing a Letter in the Presence of a Maid (The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin), and The Pearl Weigher (The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC).

In preparation for this major exhibition, a team of conservators, restorers and scientists from the Rijksmuseum worked closely with colleagues from the Mauritshuis in The Hague to conduct research on Vermeer’s paintings, most notably The Milkmaid. Advanced Macro-XRF and RIS scanning technologies were used, the same ones that were used as part ofOperation Night Watch, dedicated to the research and restoration of Rembrandt’s Night Watch.

Among the most significant discoveries was the presence of a background paint in Vermeer’s The Milkmaid (a discovery that sheds new light on the painter’s creative process, because a thick line of hastily applied black paint became visible under the milkmaid’s left arm, showing how Vermeer quickly painted the scene in light and dark tones before developing the details). A similar sketch was also noted on the wall behind the girl’s head.Comparing the results produced using the latest research techniques, it is clear that Vermeer used black paint to draw a pitcher stand and several pitchers, but did not develop them further. The jug stand was used in seventeenth-century kitchens to hang ceramic jugs by the handle. A “fire basket” has also been identified at the bottom right of the painting. Formed from willow stems, this type of basket was a customary household item in young families. Archival material from the 17th century, including the inventory of Vermeer’s property, reveals that just such an object was in his house.

“So much work had already been done on the painting, so we never thought something so sharp would surface thanks to modern technology,” said Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum. “The exhibition to be held in 2023 at the Rijksmuseum offers the opportunity to analyze Vermeer using the latest technological advances, thus bringing the public ever closer to this mysterious and beloved artist.”

Image: Jan Vermeer, The Milkmaid (ca. 1660; Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum)

Vermeer's Milkmaid reveals new discoveries. She will be at the major exhibition on the painter in 2023

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