Vermeer interiors at the Prado

Magazine Antiques, March, 2003 by Miriam Kramer

There are only thirty-five paintings ascribed with certainty to Johannes Vermeer, and many of these depict intimate domestic interiors that speak volumes about the values and morals of seventeenth-century Delft.

There are no works by Vermeer in any Spanish collection, and exhibitions of Dutch masters have been few and far between in Spain. A major exhibition on this subject is on view at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid until May 18. Entitled Vermeer and the Dutch Interior, it places nine of his paintings alongside examples by his contemporaries on similar subjects, allowing a direct comparison. Other artists whose works are included are Pieter de Hooch, Gerard Dou, and Gerard ter Borch II. The curator of the show is Alejandro Vergara, who contributed to the illustrated exhibition catalogue published by TF Editores in Spanish with an English summary, which also has essays by Mariet Westermann. It may be ordered by telephoning 34-91-330-2878.