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Girl with a Red Hat
Artist	Johannes Vermeer
Year	c. 1669
Medium	Oil on panel
Movement	Dutch Golden Age painting
Dimensions	23.2 cm × 18.1 cm (9.1 in × 7.1 in)
Location	National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Girl with a Red Hat is a small painting (9 1/8 x 7 1/8") by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Painted in 1669, it is seen as one of a number of Vermeer's tronies – depictions of models fancifully dressed that were not (as far as is known) intended to be portraits of specific, identifiable subjects. Its attribution to Vermeer – as it is on a recycled wood panel and not on canvas – has been a matter of controversy with scholars on both sides of the argument. However, in recent study carried out by the curators such as Arthur Wheelock and Walter Leidtke of National Gallery of Art, certainty has been established on the authorship of the painting by Vermeer. The painting is on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

Subject

The subject of the portrait is a fancifully dressed young woman. In a study after using the latest technology in preparation for a 2022 exhibition, titled Vermeer's Secrets it was ascertained that Vermeer began by painting the portrait of a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

This portrait is a tronie or a nonspecific and unidentifiable portrait of extravagantly dressed models. Small scale studio work was easy to sell to patrons. Tronies gave artists freedom to choose the subject and composition of their work which was uncommon at the time. Tronies often showed depicted versions of Dutch life through lavish clothing and interiors to reflect the nation's prosperous economy.

Another example of one of Vermeer's tronies.

Composition

The portrait depicts a young woman dressed in a bright blue robe, wearing a collar that appears to be lace and a red feather hat, which takes up much of the background. She is seated in an ornate wooden chair with lions carved into the arms. The most striking element in the painting is the artist's bold use of blue and red. The artist's use of white in the cravat unifies the bold colors. Her hair is up, and she wears a pair of dangling pearl earrings. Pearls were very fashionable in the 17th century Netherlands; in fact, they actually appear in 18 of Vermeer's paintings. The subject is seated and looks at the viewer as if she has just turned her head. Her mouth is ajar and her face, slightly pink, receives light from the right, which is unusual in the works of Vermeer. Her expression looks slightly surprised, as if someone just called her name. In the background a yellow, blue and green tapestry is displayed. These tapestries were not uncommon in Vermeer's work.

Materials and technique

The portrait was made using oil paints on wood panel. The older pigment analysis by H. Kuhn was supplemented by a more recent investigation. The red hat is painted in two layers: the lower layer consists of vermilion mixed with a black pigment, the upper layer is a madder lake glaze. Vermeer used a mixture of azurite and yellow ochre for the green areas and umber (umbra) for the browns in the wall. He often used ultramarine in his paintings, which was used for the robe. This pigment was extremely expensive, though it is emphasized throughout his work. The portrait was painted on a wood panel, most likely made out of oak with a vertical grain. The white cravat worn by the figure was not produced by darkening the white paint with gray, but by etching into the white paint with the handle of his brush. Through analyzing this painting, experts agreed it was mostly liked done by a professional with great skill and knowledge, a point that to the fact that the painting is an authentic Vermeer.

Historical context

This portrait was painted during the Dutch Golden Age, which was a period of history spanning from approximately 1588 to 1672. This prosperous time for the Netherlands took place after the Eighty Years' War, spanning from 1566 to 1648. The Northern Netherlands gained independence from Spain, thus creating The Dutch Republic and catapulting a prolific time for the arts, science, the economy and military. The Southern Netherlands remained part of the Spanish crown and therefore remained Catholic while the North was mostly Dutch Calvinist. The Dutch Republic took pride in being a religiously tolerant and wealthy nation. At the time, there was a huge sense of Dutch nationalism, and art was used to idealize everyday life in the Dutch Republic.

Map of Delft in the 17th century.

Artist

Artist Johannes Vermeer lived from 1632-1675. He was born in Delft, Netherlands and lived there his whole life. During his life he was well known in Delft, but not renowned throughout Europe. After his death, his work became synonymous with Dutch art and culture. The artist only produced a small number of paintings and worked very slow; however, his paintings sold for high prices. His work was highly valued by collectors at the time. Although, he was barely able to support his family, and after his death left them in debt. At the time of this painting, he was 37 years old. He produced work mainly for a small group of patrons and did not have any apprentices. He was a well-regarded member of the Luke's Guild in Delft. In fact, he actually served as the head of the guild four times. He died only six years after he made this painting.

Painting of Delft in the 17th century by Jan van der Heyden.

Attribution

There has been much controversy and debate as to if this painting is a true Vermeer. This painting is unique compared to Vermeer's body of work for multiple reasons. First, because the subject looks directly at the viewer, some believe it was not actually painted by Vermeer. Not only is the position of the subject unusual for Vermeer, but it was also painted on wood panel instead of canvas. In fact, out of all 36 paintings attributed to Vermeer, only two were painted on a surface other than canvas. However, it was found Vermeer used this painting as a study of lighting and brushwork, which explains why it was painted on a wood panel and not on canvas. It was also clear the painting showed impressive handling of paint and brush. According to the specialized newspaper The Art Newspaper, a multidisciplinary team came to the conclusion that the painting was without a doubt a Vermeer, who probably painted no more than 40 or 50 works over a 22-year career, of which only 36 are known or have survived.

Patronage and Provenance

The painting, supposedly executed ca. 1669, may have been among those owned by Vermeer's patron, Pieter Claesz van Ruijven. Ruijven actually owned about half of Vermeer's paintings he ever produced. Then, through inheritance it may have been passed on to his wife, Maria de Knuijt who died 1681. Next, it belonged to her daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven; and Magdalena's husband, Jacob Abrahamsz Dissius. It is thought to have been sold at an auction in Amsterdam on May 16, 1696. It was bought at a sale at the Hôtel de Bouillon, in Paris on December 10, 1822 by Baron Louis Marie Baptiste Atthalin for 200 French francs. After his death it came to his nephew and adopted son, Laurent Atthalin; by inheritance to Baron Gaston Laurent-Atthelin and by inheritance to his wife, Baroness Laurent-Atthelin. The painting was sold by M. Knoedler & Co., New York and London, in November 1925 to Andrew W. Mellon for $290.000, who deeded it on March 30, 1932 to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust in Pittsburgh (a holding-place for Mellon's pictures while the National Gallery of Art was being established). The trust gave it to the NGA in 1937.

Further reading[edit]

Liedtke, Walter A. (2001). Vermeer and the Delft School. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 9780870999734

External links[edit]

• Media related to Girl with a Red Hat (Vermeer) at Wikimedia Commons
• Web pages on the painting at National Gallery of Art, Washington
• Essential Vermeer
• Girl with the Red Hat
• Johannes Vermeer, The Girl in the Red Hat, ColourLex