Image: public domain, courtesy of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The Milkmaid

Johannes Vermeer, c. 1660

A maid slowly pours milk from a jug; the thin stream of milk is the only thing moving in the quiet room. Vermeer used many tiny dots of paint to show the light sparkling on the bread and the basket.

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Did you know?

Look at the small tiles near the floor behind the foot warmer: one of them shows Cupid.
The wooden box on the floor is a foot warmer, which held hot coals to keep feet and skirts warm.
Look high on the wall at the left: a single nail and its tiny shadow, plus little holes where nails once were.
Vermeer first painted something like a map on the wall, then removed it, leaving the wall calm and bare.
Scans in 2022 revealed a rack of jugs and a basket for coals that Vermeer sketched and later painted over.
The pile of bread suggests she is making a simple dish of stale bread soaked in milk.

About the artist

Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) was born in Delft and spent his whole life in that Dutch town.

He is famous for quiet, light-filled interiors such as The Milkmaid and Girl with a Pearl Earring, and only about 35 of his paintings are known today.

He worked slowly and lovingly on each picture, and at home he and his wife Catharina had a big, lively family of eleven children.

Johannes Vermeer ›

Where it is today: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · Museum page