Vermeer

The 35 paintings that have come down to us from the hand of Jan Vermeer (1632-1675) place him beside Rembrandt and Frans Hals as one of the great masters of the golden age of Dutch art. Little is known of Vermeer's early life and training, though we can be certain that he never knew great success or acclaim during his lifetime, and after his death - reputedly in part because of the stress of his debts - his work was almost completely forgotten for the best part of two centuries. And yet today he is acknowledged as an exquisitely talented and highly original artist.