The Young Vermeer

The well-known Dutch master Johannes Vermeer was one of the world's greatest painters; however, there are only thirty-six of his paintings in existence. This winter, three paintings from Vermeer's early career will be reunited in a significant and rare display.

The Young Vermeer will show three paintings created between 1653 and 1656: Diana and her Nymphs (about 1653-54) from the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague; the National Galleries of Scotland's Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (about 1654-55); and ‘The Procuress' (1656) from the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister Dresden.

The Young Vermeer presents a unique opportunity to compare directly these three important paintings and discover more about the development of one of the world's most celebrated artists.

The paintings of Johannes Vermeer are now world-famous but during his lifetime Vermeer was known only to a small circle of devotees and never attained the same level of fame as other Dutch artists such as Rembrandt or Gerrit Dou. After his death in 1675, Vermeer was quickly forgotten and his works were often misattributed to artists with greater reputations.

It was only in 1859 that the French connoisseur Étienne Thoré-Bürger discovered the signature on ‘The Procuress' in Dresden and identified it as the earliest work of Vermeer then known. In 1901 the ‘young Vermeer' took on a more distinct shape and character. The London dealer Forbes & Paterson offered for sale Christ in the House of Martha and Mary. Recent cleaning had brought to light Vermeer's signature. This discovery also finally confirmed Vermeer's long disputed authorship of the Diana and her Nymphs.

While these early works differ from their successors in terms of size, style and subject matter (mythological subjects, Biblical scenes, and brothel scenes are not found in Vermeer's later work), they already show Vermeer's exceptional interest in the depiction of colour and light and demonstrate the emergence of his exceptional talent.

Jan Vermeer
The Young Vermeer
Kurator: Tico Seifert