Johannes Vermeer is the poetic soul of Dutch art and one of the great vanishing acts in art history. With his death in 1675 and the dispersal of his paintings, Vermeer's artistic and personal identities were virtually eclipsed. But he was rediscovered in the late 19th century and quickly became known as one of the great European masters. Did you know that: Vermeer paid his rent by giving paintings to his landlord? fewer than 40 paintings are attributed...

"In his lifetime, the fame of Johannes Vermeer (1632 1675) barely extended beyond his native Delft and a small circle of patrons. After his death, his name was largely forgotten, with works outside of Holland often misattributed to other artists. It was not until the mid-19th century that Vermeer came to the attention of the international art world, which suddenly looked upon his narrative minutiae, meticulous textural detail, and majestic planes...

"A landmark exploration of the engaging network of relationships among genre painters of the Dutch Golden Age. The genre painting of the Dutch Golden Age between 1650 and 1675 ranks among the highest pinnacles of Western European art. The virtuosity of these works, as this book demonstrates, was achieved in part thanks to a vibrant artistic rivalry among numerous first-rate genre painters working in different cities across the Dutch Republic. They...