The life of Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer was born in 1632 in Delft and died there in 1675 gestorven. He was buried in the Oude Kerk ("old church"). You can find his tombstone with his name there.
We dont know much about the life of Vermeer. He followed eductation for art painter. Briefly before he was welcomed as "master" in the painters guild he married. He was 21 years old and lived at the Marktveld street in the house ‘Mechelen’. His father had had an inn.
Vermeer worked slowly. He did not make many paintings compared to other artists of his time. He asked, and mostly also got, high prices for his work. As far as we know he had no students and no important people that gave him assignments for certain paintings. He was involved with art trade - he bought and sold paintings from other masters. Het also valued other paintings, as he had a good name as "art specialist’. This way he made his earnings for his large family. He had 11 children!
Delft was a dynamic city at that tume, also in the field of Art and Science. Several people living in the same age of Vermeer have become famous - think of painters like Carel Fabritius, Pieter de Hoogh, Pieter van Asch, Antonie Palamedesz and Leonard Bramer. Also scientists like Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and Hugo de Groot are from the same period in history.
In the year 1672 the Republic of the Netherlands was briefly occupied by the French. The economical situation of the country declined sharply. Many people had difficulties earning money, and also Vermeer had financial troubles. He rented out his large house and moved in with his mother in law. There, at the street "Oude Langendijk"" he died 3 years later. Hij was only 43 years old. His widow was left with 8 underaged kids and many debts. The famous scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, that was also arranging debt issues for the council of Delft, helped her to arrange the inheritance of Vermeer.
In 1696, 21 paintings of Vermeer were auctioned in Amsterdam. We still know all these works today.