Vermeer’s painting with hidden object

The famous panel of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer “The Girl Who Reads a Letter in an Open Window” Finally Has Many… Hidden Secrets and Documents: After the Revelation of a Ερωτιδέα (cupid) painted on the background of the painting and was an addition by another person, another revelation came to light by the conservators of the museum that has been on display for years, at the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden: a mysterious glass of wine bottom of the work which was crafted between 1657-59.

“After removing the varnish, the rounded shape of the glass base appears painted in dark blue-gray, with white highlights as it reflects light,” notes the Extensive post on the reputable art site theartnewspaper.com.

Almost the entire base of the glass was hidden by a green curtain, added by Vermeer himself while working on the composition – a base that was later covered in 18^The century, with hyperpigmentation and which has now been completely removed by the competent conservators.

The full glass, which would be about 18 cm high, is visible on X-rays, with conservators even being able to distinguish its decoration with a vine pattern.

“The painter may have originally wanted it glass to appear to rest on a railing, in front of the viewer “, the article states, adding that:

“Vermeer probably intended the painting to be hung indoors to give the illusion that we are seeing the girl from another room or a crevice. The glass may also have nothing to do with the table, but be simple the remnant of a previously discarded composition and the artist to use the canvas again, as was customary then “.

But the discovery of the hidden glass as well as the Cupid is another piece that composes the puzzle of an enigmatic composition, hence the management of the museum Gemäldegalerie of Dresden who made the unveiling of the painting to the public again, spoke of a “new” Vermeer.

The painting will be displayed in the large exhibition «On Reflection» which opened on September 10 and will last until January 2, 2022.

“The Girl Who Reads a Letter” will be the focus of the exhibition along with nine other Vermeer paintings, including “Woman in blue reading a letter” (owned by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam) and “Girl next to the virginal” (based in London, at the National Gallery), closely related to the painting.

And the hidden Erotideas to look at us meaningfully…

And the hidden Erotideas, the well-known one Cupid, appeared first and not 100% of it about four decades ago, when an x-ray revealed him at the top of the project. The researchers then decided not to disturb the layer of paint that covered him, considering that it was an intervention of the artist himself.

But as the conservators of the Dresden Gallery realized a while ago, table inside the table had remained visible for a long time, before being disappeared by an unknown hand, after the death of its creator.

Somehow, from the middle of last June, the “Girl who reads a letter in front of the open window” was exposed, half restored to its original form, with the face and upper torso of the lover visible in the background. After June 16, the project returned to the maintenance workshops where the newest coat of paint was removed and immediately afterwards the glass of wine.

“This is the most impressive experience of my career,” said the chief conservator at the Dresden Gallery. Uta Nyhardhard, meaningfully adding that Vermeer used to mention other works of art in his paintings, using them to provide additional information and comments to the viewer.

In this case, the lover is the only indication “that suggests a love story. The discovery makes him a different painting “, which is true because now the naked lover seems to playfully supervise the girl, who contradicts the strict rules of Protestant Holland in the 17th century.

THE Johannes Vermeer, also known as Jan Vermeer was born on October 31, 1632. He lived and worked in the Delft region of South Holland during the 17th century. Together with Rembrandt he is one of the most important painters of the “Golden Age” in Dutch painting (1584-1702).

In the last years of his life he fell into a dire financial situation, due to the war that broke out between the Netherlands and France in 1672. As he could not support his large family he fell into depression and his physical health deteriorated. He died in 1675 and we know that he was buried on December 15, in the family grave of the Old Church of Delft.