A maid at her work
With her sleeves pushed up, the maid pours milk from a jug into a bowl. Bread and a stoneware jug occupy the table beside her.
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The Milkmaid
Johannes Vermeer · 1660
painting
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Select a detail to locate it.
In its time
1660
Books from this period
Where it hangs
Rijksmuseum
Gallery of Honour
A maid pours milk beside a basket of bread. Vermeer makes her work the subject of a canvas only 45.5 centimetres high.
Details
Bright dots of paint make the bread and basket catch the light. This technique, called pointillé, gives a rough crust its sparkle. Compare those distinct touches with the steady action of the pouring figure.
In context
Light in dots of paint
Vermeer dabbed bright dots of paint, a technique called pointillé, across the bread and basket.
Through Amsterdam to the Rijksmuseum
The painting fetched the second-highest price at its 1696 auction. After passing through Amsterdam collections, it entered the Six family collection. The Rijksmuseum acquired it from the Six heirs in 1908.
The story
1696. It is sold at auction in Amsterdam, bringing the second-highest price that day.
1908. The Rijksmuseum buys it from the Six family heirs, with support from the Dutch government and the Rembrandt Society.
Pointillé
Tiny dabs and dots of bright paint, left distinct rather than blended smooth. Vermeer used it across the bread and basket to suggest the sparkle of daylight and the rough texture of crust.