MISTRESS AND MAID

(Dame en dienstbode)

c. 1666-1667
oil on canvas
35 1/2 x 31 in. (90.2 x 78.7 cm.)
The Frick Collection, New York

"Departing from the traditional iconography of the letter writer, Vermeer nevertheless relied upon the underlying thematic content to give poignance to his scene. The mistress' expression reveals the uncertainties of love that disrupt the serenity of ordered existence. The mistress' controlled demeanor and fashionable wardrobe seems to suggest that such fleeting doubts affect even those who are most secure and content in their lives. The maid, while offering the letter, responds to her mistress' gaze with a caring yet concerned look. With her slightly opened mouth and lowered eyelids, her expression is as restrained as her mistress', yet Vermeer created a visual dialogue between them that conveys the intense psychological impact of the letter's arrival."

Arthur K. Wheelock, Vermeer and the Art of Painting, 1995