Image: public domain, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Young Woman with a Water Pitcher

Johannes Vermeer, c. 1662

A young woman stands at an open window with a gilded silver pitcher and basin, ready to wash. In 1889 it became the first painting by Vermeer to enter an American collection.

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Did you know?

Look for the map of the Netherlands on the wall; Vermeer changed its position while painting.
Look for the open jewellery box on the table, with a string of pearls inside.
The table is covered with a richly coloured Persian carpet, a costly luxury in Dutch homes of the time.
Vermeer first painted a chair with lion heads in the front left, then painted it out.
The window light makes her linen headscarf and collar look almost see-through.
Most of Vermeer's paintings are set in one favourite room, lit by a window on the left.

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: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York · Museum page