Dear Subscriber,
It is with great pleasure that I present the 54th issue of the Essential Vermeer newsletter. I hope you enjoy it, and please don’t hesitate to contact me with any comments or questions you may have.
With my very best regards
Jonathan Janson
- Special Vermeer Exhibition at the Newly Reopened Frick Collection: Vermeer’s Love Letters
- Vermeer-related temporary exhibiton in Marseille: Lire le ciel. Sous les étoiles en Méditerranée
- Leiden Collection Young Woman Seated at the Virginal travels to Amsterdam
- Closer to Vermeer: Latest research on the life and work of Vermeer
- Revisiting Vermeer’s Delft Residence—A Response to Hans Slager by Frans Grijzenhout
- Upcoming book by Ruth Bernard Yeazell: Vermeer’s Afterlives
- Essential Vermeer addition: Essential Vermeer Pulldown Glossary
- Two Vermeer-Related Reviews in the Latest Issue of Simiolus (45-3/4)
- John Ringling and the Greta Garbo Vermeer: Linda R. McKee and Deborah W. Walk
- Tenth Anniversary of the Tragic Death of Walter Liedtke
- The Neuro"science" behind Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring
- Rijksmuseum launches the new Collection Online platform
- Leiden Collection Young Woman Seated at a Virginal conservation treatment
1. Special Vermeer exhibition at the newly reopened Frick Collection in 2025
Vermeer’s Love Letters
June 18–September 8, 2025
Frick Collection, New York
https://www.frick.org/exhibitions/vermeer_love_letters
The Frick Collection will reopen in April 17, 2025, introducing significant changes and additions to its renowned New York City mansion. Among the highlights of the reopening is a groundbreaking Vermeer exhibition, Vermeer’s Love Letters, which will bring together three notable Vermeer paintings with a letter-writing theme: Mistress and Maid (Frick Collection), The Love Letter (Rijksmuseum), and Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid (National Gallery of Ireland). This exhibition will run from June 18 to September 8, 2025, and will showcase Vermeer's intimate depictions of letter-writing within a specially-designed gallery, offering an unparalleled viewing experience, and will offer visitors an opportunity to consider Vermeer’s treatment of the theme of letters as well as his depiction of women of different social classes.
2. Vermeer-related temporary exhibiton in Marseille
Lire le ciel. Sous les étoiles en Méditerranée (Reading the Sky: Under the Stars in the Mediterranean)
July 9, 2025– January 5, 2026
Mucem in Marseille (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur)
https://www.mucem.org/programme/exposition-et-temps-forts/lire-le-ciel
From the museum website:
The exhibition Reading the Sky explores how the night sky has been perceived in the Mediterranean region, as seen from Earth. From the earliest records of the ancient Mesopotamian heavens to the popularity of contemporary astrology—passing through medieval Arab-Muslim astronomy and the Galilean revolution—Mediterranean societies have looked to the stars to understand their place in the cosmos and to organize life on Earth. Knowledge and belief circulated across the region, establishing a shared cultural understanding of the sky that still informs how we think about the stars today.
Among the 150 works on display will be Vermeer's masterwork, The Astronomer. It will be on display during the first three months of the exhibition, until October 7th, together with The Astronomer by Luca Giordano (from Musée de Chambéry).
3. Leiden Collection Young Woman Seated at the Virginal travels to Amsterdam
From Rembrandt to Vermeer, Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection
H'ART Museum, Amsterdam
April 9 – August 24, 2025
https://www.hartmuseum.nl/en/exhibitions/rembrandt-to-vermeer/
From the H'ART Museum website:
The Leiden Collection, one of the largest and most important private collections of Dutch 17th century art founded by Franco-American collector Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan and his wife Daphne Recanati Kaplan.
Featuring 75 works — including seventeen paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) that will be displayed together for the very first time — the exhibition will tell a unique story about Amsterdam and the lives of its seventeenth-century residents, as seen through the eyes of some of its most consequential painters. Other Dutch masters and prominent fijnschilders whose work is featured in the exhibition include Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals, Gerrit Dou, Frans van Mieris, and Maria Schalcken.
4. A major study of the life and work of Vermeer: Closer to Vermeer: New Research on the Painter and His Art
Closer to Vermeer: New Research on the Painter and His Art
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam / Hannibal Books, Veurne
Print length: 320 pages
https://www.rijksmuseumshop.nl/nl/closer-to-vermeer?utm_source=nieuwsbrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pers&utm_content=#msdynmkt_trackingcontext=e4a884ac-161f-4a12-9588-b28b04140300
Closer to Vermeer explores the world of Johannes Vermeer, a painter whose work continues to fascinate more than 350 years after his death. Taking the landmark 2023 Rijksmuseum exhibition as a point of departure, this volume brings together new art-historical and technical research by leading international experts. How did Vermeer translate his creative ideas into paint? Did the seventeenth-century Dutch master truly rely on optical devices? What do the carefully rendered objects in his interiors reveal about the artist himself? And how has the perception of his small but extraordinary oeuvre evolved over time?
Using the latest imaging techniques, researchers scrutinize Vermeer’s masterpieces, yielding compelling new insights into his artistic process, material choices, and technical virtuosity. These investigations contribute to a deeper understanding of Vermeer’s painting technique throughout his career. Other specialists revisit seventeenth-century sources, uncover new archival documents, and explore Vermeer’s patrons and the material world he portrayed. The objects depicted in his interiors—maps, pearls, porcelain, kitchenware—are examined not merely as visual motifs, but as clues to his worldview and working methods.
At once scholarly and accessible, Closer to Vermeer offers a fresh, intimate perspective on one of the most enigmatic and beloved painters—a vital resource and enduring reference for specialists and art lovers alike.
5. Revisiting Vermeer’s Delft residence—A response to Hans Slager
"A Brief Reply to Hans Slager on the Issue of Vermeer's Residence" by Frans Grijzenhout
https://www.essentialvermeer.com/misc/finding-vermeer-reply-to-slager-final.html
In his new article, "A Brief Reply to Hans Slager on the Issue of Vermeer's Residence," Frans Grijzenhout respond to Hans Slager’s rejection of his earlier argument regarding the Delft residence of Johannes Vermeer and his family. Contrary to Slager’s claim that the family lived in the smaller Trapmolen house on the western corner of Oude Langendijk and Molenpoort, Grijzenhout maintain—based on primary documentation—that they resided in the more spacious Groot Serpent on the eastern corner. This conclusion draws heavily on the only known tax register to mention Maria Thins, Vermeer’s mother-in-law, and her neighbors, placing her among the wealthiest citizens of Delft in 1674.
Grijzenhout addresses Slager’s doubts about the sequential nature of this register and demonstrate that his key objection—centered on the residency of one Jannetge Stevens—is unsupported by archival evidence. Detailed analysis of property transactions and estate inventories shows that Stevens did not own or occupy the relevant properties until well after 1674. The register’s structure thus remains reliable for establishing residential order, supporting my original claim.
While the precise location of Vermeer’s home might seem trivial compared to broader historical questions, it has important implications for understanding his social context and the domestic settings so central to his art. Grijzenhout concludes by reaffirming his earlier findings and briefly countering Slager’s reinterpretation of the location of the Jesuit church east of Molenpoort, a topic not directly related to Vermeer but touched upon in his critique.
6. Upcoming book by Ruth Bernard Yeazell: Vermeer’s Afterlives
Vermeer’s Afterlives
Ruth Bernard Yeazell
To be published: June 9, 2026
Pages: 320
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691277820/vermeers-afterlives?srsltid=AfmBOopQqTyqNa7KjRjcZkbRmvC2dEFFPSXgZjjAUZ1OuyoDG5z044lm
From the publisher's website:
Johannes Vermeer is one of the most beloved painters in the world. But when an enterprising French journalist and art critic set out to recover his work in the mid-nineteenth century, both his name and achievement were virtually forgotten. Vermeer’s Afterlives tells the remarkable story of how one of the great masters of the Dutch Golden Age was lost to obscurity until the rise of art history as a new discipline introduced his work to modern audiences and asks why his art compels so many other artists to respond with works of their own.
Ruth Bernard Yeazell traces the cultural ascendency of this extraordinary painter, whose enigmatic subjects and quiet, introspective interiors, transfigured by light and color, continue to captivate viewers far removed from his native Delft. We meet the critics who first welcomed Vermeer into the canon along with the painters who sought to imitate him, the forgers who tried to pass off their work as his own, and the contemporary artists who openly repurpose it. The enquiry concludes by looking at Vermeer’s paintings through the eyes of the poets and novelists who have attempted to translate his silence into words and give voice to the stories he left untold. Along the way, Yeazell interrogates the changing assumptions that govern art history, while demonstrating how paintings live on not only in later paintings but in poetry, fiction, photography, and film.
Marking the 350th anniversary of Vermeer’s death, this beautifully illustrated book explores the variety of ways in which Vermeer’s art has been interpreted through the centuries and shows how his paintings take on afterlives of their own in the imaginations of those who view them.
7. EV addition: An extensive glossary of art term: Johannes Vermeer Pulldown Glossary
Essential Vermeer Pulldown Glossary
https://www.essentialvermeer.com/glossary/glossary-pulldown.html
Art is full of specialized language that can be puzzling to the lay reader. Many terms used by artists, historians, and critics have meanings that differ from their everyday usage, while others are so specific to the field that they are virtually unknown outside of it. This online glossary is dedicated to clarifying these distinctions, offering clear definitions and historical context. Each entry begins by examining the term within the broader history of art, tracing its development, significance, and various interpretations across time and cultures. When relevant, the discussion then shifts to its specific role within the Dutch Golden Age, a period that saw an unprecedented flourishing of artistic innovation, market-driven production, and technical refinement. The glossary highlights how these concepts were understood and applied by Dutch painters, collectors, and theorists, situating them within the broader intellectual and social currents of the time.
Given the focus of this website, the glossary also includes a dedicated section within applicable entries that explores how each term relates to Vermeer's paintings, working methods, or artistic vision. Marked with Vermeer's well-known monogram, this section signals a focused discussion of his unique approach—whether analyzing his materials and techniques or considering his place within Dutch artistic traditions. By structuring the glossary in this way, it serves as both a reference tool and a deeper exploration of artistic practice, bridging general art history with the nuanced particularities of seventeenth-century Dutch painting and Vermeer’s enduring legacy.
With more than 700+ carefully curated terms and a network of over 30,000+ internal links and 500+ images, the glossary allows users to navigate seamlessly across multiple facets of art, revealing unexpected connections and deeper layers of meaning. Designed as both a structured reference and an open-ended exploration, it encourages readers to move beyond isolated definitions, tracing the evolution of artistic ideas across time and disciplines. Whether approached as a scholarly resource or as a guide for enthusiasts eager to deepen their understanding, this glossary provides an extensive and interconnected repository of artistic knowledge.
8. Two Vermeer-related reviews in the latest issue of Simiolus (45-3/4)
The latest issue of Simiolus (45-3/4), features two reviews of Vermeer-realted topics.
- Frans Grijzenhout: Vermeer (Pieter Roelofs and Gregor J.M. Weber (eds.) and Vermeer: Faith, Light and Reflection (Gregor J.M. Weber).
- Frances Suzman-Jowell doubles down on the Rijksmuseum catalogue with, "Rijksmuseum 2023: Thoré-Bürger Airbrushed Out."
The three most recent volumes of Simiolus are available through info@simiolus.nl, although the current issue is NOT available through Jstor and must be purchased through their website.
Review:
Frances Suzman Jowell's article "Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum 2023: Thoré-Bürger Airbrushed Out" offers a critique of the Rijksmuseum's Vermeer exhibition and its accompanying catalogue for neglecting to adequately acknowledge the pivotal role of Théophile Thoré-Bürger (1807–1869) in the rediscovery and rehabilitation of Vermeer’s oeuvre. Jowell argues that despite the exhibition’s comprehensive presentation of Vermeer’s works and the extensive historical scholarship cited, the omission of Thoré-Bürger’s contributions represents a significant historiographical oversight. Through a detailed recounting of Thoré-Bürger’s efforts to piece together Vermeer’s dispersed paintings, including his publications, exhibitions, and the challenges of authentication in the 19th century, Jowell illustrates how Thoré-Bürger's scholarship laid the groundwork for the painter's modern reputation. The article underscores the irony of Thoré-Bürger's own posthumous erasure given his tireless work to restore Vermeer’s name, presenting this omission as part of a broader trend in recent Vermeer scholarship to downplay or misrepresent Thoré-Bürger’s contributions.
Jowell's analysis draws from a wealth of primary sources and historical context to challenge the narrative presented by the Rijksmuseum. She critiques the tendency of contemporary scholars to either reduce Thoré-Bürger’s legacy to the epithet "the Sphinx of Delft" or to dismiss his attributions and cataloging efforts as misguided, arguing instead for a more nuanced appreciation of his achievements. The article's meticulous attention to historical detail and its pointed criticism of the selective historiography in the 2023 Vermeer catalogue serve as a reminder of the importance of acknowledging the foundational contributions of earlier scholars. Jowell’s call for a reassessment of Thoré-Bürger's role in Vermeer’s art-historical resurrection and makes a strong case for revisiting and rectifying this scholarly imbalance
9. Vermeer-related publication
John Ringling and the Greta Garbo Vermeer
Linda R. McKee and Deborah W. Walk
August 17, 2024
https://amzn.to/4a1jTQ1
From Amazon.com:
John Ringling was one of the most prolific encyclopedic art collectors of the early twentieth century in America. Despite many purchases and acquisitions, his eponymous museum in Sarasota, Florida contained few written records of his art activities. This all changed in 1995 when The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Archives received a treasure trove of German archival documents sent to them by Julius Böhler's nephew, Florian Eitle-Böhler. There was now secure evidence that Ringling was not only a collector, he was an investor and partner, working in close consort with his dealer Julius Wilhelm Böhler (1883-1966).
This book is a case study of the life of a painting that typifies much of the unpleasant side of the business of the international art world. The story is a result of serendipity, the author in 2008 reading Jonathan Lopez's book, The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren, and discovering that Ringling himself was once the co-owner, not of a Van Meegeren, but of a well-known but poor Vermeer imitation, The Girl With the Blue Hat.
10. Tenth Anniversary of the Tragic Death of Walter Liedtke
Walter Liedtke, Jr. (August 28, 1945 – February 3, 2015) , American art historian, writer and Curator of Dutch and Flemish Paintings.
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"Walter was an original. Always nattily dressed, his hair just so and his mustache perfect, he seemed to have emerged from another era rather than from an office on the second floor. He was, of course, one of the world's leading scholars of Dutch and Flemish paintings, deeply devoted to his collection, which included the Met's legendary Rembrandts and Vermeers. He knew those pictures like old friends, and described them with an intimacy and spirit that was mesmerizing. In fact, his distinctive voice was among his unique characteristics: careful and deliberate, but somehow lyrical in its unhurried measure. And he had opinions: deep, strong, expressive opinions. Those opinions and his vigor in delivering them will be among the many things that we will miss."
11. The Neuro"science" behind Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring
In recent years, Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring has acquired near interstellar fame, and with it interstellar press and interstellar attempts to explain its interstellar aclaim. It is now such that she was able to snub the extraordinary 2023 Rijksmuseum Vermeer retrospective, where, unlike every other painting, her presence was limited to the first two months of the exhibition.
Recently, the Mauritshuis has spearheaded a technical examination of the painting which has unleashed headlines such as nothing less than "Scientists unlock secret of 'Girl With Pearl Earring," "Just Why Is ‘Girl With Pearl Earring’ So Captivating? A New Study Has Answers." I wish it were so easy…
In brief, the Mauritshuis website claims that "Neurological research has shown that looking at a real painting at the Mauritshuis activates the brain differently than looking at a reproduction of the same painting. The viewer’s emotional response is ten times stronger when they are face to face with the painting in the museum. Researchers used electroencephalograms (EEGs) to reveal that real artworks, including Girl with a Pearl Earring, elicit a powerful positive response much greater than the response to reproductions. The secret behind the attraction of the ‘Girl’ is also based on a unique neurological phenomenon. Unlike other paintings, she manages to ‘captivate’ the viewer, in a ‘sustained attentional loop’. This is the first time that the Mauritshuis has commissioned this type of research into its paintings."
The Neurofactor website of , the private company which conducted the experiment, puts it a bit more in simpler terms. "In a laboratory setting, people where led to multiple pieces of art in the Mauritshuis museum. Among them, the world renowned masterpiece: Johannes Vermeer’s the Girl with the Pearl Earring. In a separate room people would also look at posters of the same paintings in the exact same size. The subjects would differentiate between real art and posters; and the order in which they would see the art pieces and poster."
The Neurofactor mission is clearly outlined on the homepage of their website. "Better your marketing and sales with science-based consumer insights Use neuromarketing and consumer neuroscience to understand what truly drives your customer’s decisions. Our science-backed strategies reveal subconscious triggers, allowing your to optimize your marketing for maximum impact and measurable results."
Please allow me a few considerations, and, of course, let me know if I am on the wrong track.
Whatever the scope or techniques employed in The Mauritshuis' initiative, comparing real paintings to posters raises an important methodological concern: the role of perceived authenticity in shaping emotional and neurological responses to art. It is possible that participants reacted more strongly to Girl with a Pearl Earring not just because of its visual qualities but because they knew they were encountering a globally recognized masterpiece. In contrast, they were fully aware that the posters were mere reproductions, which could have dampened their engagement before any cognitive or emotional processing even began. This raises the question of whether the observed differences in brain activity truly stem from the physical artwork itself or from the psychological impact of knowing one is in the presence of an original.
A stronger test would involve a deception control, where participants unknowingly view a high-resolution print placed inside the original frame, presented in the museum setting as if it were the real painting. If viewers had similar neurological responses to the print while believing it was the original, it would suggest that expectation plays a major role in art appreciation. If, however, the response remained significantly weaker despite the deception, this would indicate that an authentic painting carries unique perceptible qualities—perhaps due to its texture, reflectivity, or the way light interacts with oil paint. Comparing brain activity between those who unknowingly viewed reproductions and those who saw the real painting would reveal whether expectation alone is responsible for heightened engagement.
Click here to access the report here at the Mauritshuis website:
https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/press/presskit-neuro-research-girl-with-a-pearl/
12. Rijksmuseum is launching the new Collection Online platform
Collection Online
November 26, 2024
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection
From the Rijksmuseum website:
The Rijksmuseum is launching the new Collection Online platform. It makes the Rijksmuseum collection more accessible than ever before, with 800,000 high-resolution art works, 500,000 books, and 800 linear meters of documentation – all in one place. The combination of Linked Open Data and AI technology means visitors to this attractive online environment can now easily search the collection to gather, download and share images and information. Collection Online sees the Rijksmuseum setting a new standard for sharing heritage data.
All the knowledge in one place
The Rijksmuseum has built a dedicated infrastructure that connects multiple data systems to interlink all the information about our collection. We did this using Linked Open Data, a universal method for releasing structured data in the public domain. In line with our Information and Data Policy, we will continue to add new data to Collection Online, such as archival material and the research results yielded by Operation Night Watch. With time Collection Online may also incorporate links to data from other museums. In this way, we will ensure that digital knowledge on art and history becomes increasingly findable and usable around the globe.
Online innovations
This is the first time in the museum world that AI-driven search capabilities have been combined with an attractive visual user interface to unlock integrated data on such a massive scale. In 2012 the Rijksmuseum launched its online platform Rijksstudio, making it the first museum in the world to offer a record 125,000 images in high resolution, free of charge. In 2022 we released a photograph of The Night Watch at the highest conceivable resolution (717 gigapixels), and 2023 saw the online publication of ultra-high resolution images of all Vermeer’s four paintings. The Rijksmuseum has won multiple international awards for these projects.
You are the curator: create your own Gallery of Honour
Unlock and endlessly explore our treasure trove of art, history and knowledge using the Collection Online search bar and the hundreds of automatically generated thematic pages. Create personal collections from 800,000 online images, compare objects, and even make your own interactive video clip. Use the 360 virtual Gallery of Honour to curate your own personal exhibition of masterpieces. Getting to know the collection is even easier now with the Art Explorer. Use this AI-supported tool to answer all your probing questions and get inspiring and unexpected suggestions from the collection.
Click here to explore the Rijksmuseum's collection thematically: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/discover
13. Leiden Collection Young Woman Seated at a Virginal conservation treatment
After various conservation treatments in the twentieth century, in the winter of 2024, the late David Bull undertook conservation treatments of the Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, in the Leiden Collection.
The following is drawn from the catalogue entry of the painting:
"Although, as expected, this treatment uncovered no compositional changes, the removal of aged, discolored varnish and retouching did reveal the painting’s remarkable luminosity and subtle tonal values. The conservation treatment gave greater visibility to the reflections of the figure’s arms on the virginal’s wooden casing; the nuances in Vermeer’s modeling of the folds in the white satin dress; and the velvety blue color of the fabric on the back of the chair. Significantly, with the removal of disturbing overpaint on the woman’s lips and eyebrows, her appearance has also changed. Her mouth once again has the gently curving shape Vermeer intended and a small patch of light illuminates her face to the left of her left eyebrow. The young woman now has a friendlier, more open expression. We find ourselves drawn into her world while imagining the quiet rhythms of the music she plays. A compelling human connection holds us in place."
Click here to view the catalogue entry rewritten by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr.
https://www.theleidencollection.com/artwork/young-woman-seated-at-a-virginal/