What do we see in this work?
- The lady: an elegant lady in a luxurious, fur-lined yellow overcoat sits at a table. Her gaze seems uncertain, with one hand on her chin, which could be a gesture of doubt or hesitation. Has she been taken aback by the sudden entrance of the maid? The letter she is writing is half finished. In her left ear hangs an impressive drop pearl, a piece of jewellery that was in fashion in the third quarter of the 17th century. Due to its high price, it is probably not a real pearl, but a fake glass pearl made by Venetian glassblowers*.
- The maid: the maid, in a more modest grey outfit with a blue apron, stands slightly behind her mistress. She is bent over and appears to be handing a letter to the lady. Her gaze is caring but also concerned. The presence of the maid emphasises her role as a confidante and possibly as a messenger in amorous affairs for wealthy ladies.
- The letter: the painting falls into the category of Vermeer's “letter paintings” and focuses on matters of love. Vermeer made a total of six paintings in which letters are the subject. In this work, too, the letter is the source of tension; the lady's emotions suggest that the contents of the letter may be disturbing, reflecting the uncertainties of love at that time. Has the letter just been delivered, or is the lady sending the maid on her way to deliver it? Who can say?
- Composition and light: Vermeer creates a tense, psychological moment. The strong use of the colours yellow and ultramarine blue is typical of Vermeer. The composition is orderly, but the expressions and the letter create a sense of drama and uncertainty. The light emphasises the faces and the textures of thefabrics. The Rijksmuseum catalogue accompanying the 2023 Vermeer exhibition states that research by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has shown that Vermeer initially painted a detailed tapestry with four large figures on the wall behind the women. While painting, he replaced this with a dark setting with a curtain drawn to the right*.
Mistress and maid, The Frick Collection, New York
The work is one of his famous genre scenes that reflect the intimate atmosphere of seventeenth-century Dutch domestic life. “Mistress and Maid” also demonstrates Johannes Vermeer's mastery in capturing intense, fleeting emotions and an intimate dialogue between the figures depicted, which continues to intrigue.
*source: Vermeer - catalogue 2023