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the signatures of Johannes vermeer and Catharina Bolnes

the signature of Vermeer's Lady Seated at the Virginals

Vermeer's Signatures

Of the thirty-four generally accepted Vermeer's twenty-one bear legible signatures (the one on Diana and Her Companions has worn away--see below) and not all are not considered genuine. Three historical documents conserve his full signature; one is also signed by the artist's wife, Catharina Bolnes

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The signatures of Johannes Vermeer and his wife Catharina Bolnes (right) on a deed of 30 November 1655, two years after their marriage, constitute the one the few physical, and we might add, touching testimonies of the couple's union which bore Vermeer eleven children in all. Even if one does not agree with the premises of modern graphological analysis, it is difficult not to notice the striking differences between the two hands. The rather measured uprightness of Vermeer's style contrasts with the sensual freedom of his wife's.

click here to access a study of 10 archival documents related to the life of Vermeer

this signature is no longer visible after overzealous restorations, but was still reproduced in the 1859 catalogue of the Mauritshuis

DIANA AND HER COMPANIONS
c.1653-1656
38 1/4 x 41 3/8 in. (98.5 x 105 cm.)
The Mauritshuis, The Hague

signature of Vermeer's Diana and her Companions

signed lower left on the little bench

CHRIST IN THE HOUSE OF MARY AND MARTHA
c. 1654-1656
63 x 53 7/8 in. (160 x 142 cm.)
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

signature of Johannes Vermeer's Christ in the House of martha and Mary

signed and dated lower right 1656

THE PROCURESS
1656
56 1/2 x 51 1/8 in. (143 x 130 cm.)
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

signature of Johannes Vermeer's Procuress

signed on left above girl's head

A MAID ASLEEP
c. 1656-57
34 1/2 x 30 1/8 in. (87.6 x 76.5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

signature of Johannes Vermeer's A Maid Asleep

traces of signature in background

A GIRL READING A LETTER BY AN OPEN WINDOW
c. 1657-1659
32 1/4 x 25 3/8 in. (83 x 64.5 cm.)
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

signature of Johannes Vermeer's Girl Reading a letter by an Open Window

signed with monogram below left, on the boat

VIEW OF DELFT
c.1660-1661
38 1/4 x 46 1/4 in. (98.5 x 117.5 cm.
The Mauritshuis, The Hague

signature of Johannes Vermeer's View of Delft

signed left below window

THE LITTLE STREET
c. 1657-1661
21 1/16 x 17 1/8 in. (53.5 c 43.5 cm.)
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

signature of Johannes Vermeer's Little Street

signed left on window

THE GLASS OF WINE
c. 1658-1661
25 1/8 x 30 1/4 in. (65 x 77 cm.)
Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

signature of Johannes Vermeer's Glass of Wine

signed on lower right window pane

THE GIRL WITH A GLASS OF WINE
c.1659-1660
30 3/4 x 26 1/8 in. (78 x 67 cm.
Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Brunswick

signature of Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Glass of Wine

signed lower picture frame at right

THE MUSIC LESSON
c. 1662-1664
28 7/8 x 25 3/8 in. (73.3 x 64.5 cm.)
The Royal Collection

signature of Johannes Vermeer's Music Lesson

WOMAN WITH A LUTE
c. 1662-1664
20 1/4 x 18 in. (51.4 x 45.7 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

signature of Johannes Vermeer's Woman with a Lute
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