Vermeer

The Vermeer Quest is a more recent obsession. The goal is see all 34 Vermeer paintings known to still be in existence. This will be quite a challenge, among other reasons, because The Concert was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on March 18, 1990. (If any detectives -- amateur or otherwise -- have good leads, I'd love to hear them! There is some reason for optimism.)

This project was triggered by a visit to Mauritshuis (The Hague) in the summer of 2025. We saw three of his paintings there: View of Delft, Diana and Her Companions, and, of course, Girl with a Pearl Earring. A few days before, we undoubtedly saw others at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, but I was not yet in full documentation mode. 😁 The fixation really set in the next month when we saw the "Love Letters" exhibit at the Frick Museum in NYC. That included: Mistress and Maid, Love Letter, and Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid. Unfortunately, that museum does not allow photographs. 😞 Other logical stops in the future will include the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, each of which houses two Vermeers.

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I'm glad that I didn't have this obsession prior to 2023. In that year, the Rijksmuseum had an unprecedented exhibition featuring 28 Vermeer paintings gathered together for the first time. That would have made it much easier for me to achieve my goal, seeing so many in one fell swoop. But that would have been too easy. As it is, the Vermeer Quest is not too difficult, but it is still a challenge.

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The List...

Definitely Seen

1. Girl with a Pearl Earring (Mauritshuis; July 4, 2025)

2. View of Delft (Mauritshuis; July 4, 2025)

3. Diana and her Companions (Mauritshuis; July 4, 2025)

4. Mistress and Maid (Frick; August 1, 2025)

5. Love Letter (Frick; August 1, 2025)

6. Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid (Frick; August 1, 2025)

7. The Milkmaid (Rijksmuseum; May 21, 2026; maybe 2024)

8. The Little Street (Rijksmuseum; May 21, 2026; maybe 2024)

9. The Astronomer (Louvre; May 25, 2026)

10. The Lacemaker (Louvre; May 25, 2026)

11. Girl Interrupted at Her Music (Frick; June 12, 2026; Aug 1, 2025?)

12. Officer and a Laughing Girl (Frick; June 12, 2026; Aug 1, 2025?)

13. A Maid Asleep (Met; June 12, 2026)

14. Woman with a Lute (Met; June 12, 2026)

15. Young Woman with a Water Pitcher (Met; June 12, 2026)

16. Study of a Young Woman (Met; June 12, 2026)

17. Allegory of Faith (Met; June 12, 2026)

18. Girl with a Red Hat (National Gallery of Art, Oct 23/26, 2026; 2019?)

19. A Lady Writing (National Gallery of Art, Oct 23/26, 2026; 2019?)

20. Woman Holding a Balance (National Gallery of Art , Oct 23/26, 2026; 2019?)

[Questionable Attribution: Girl with a Flute, (National Gallery of Art, Oct 23/26, 2026; 2019?)]

Maybe to Likely Seen

21. Woman in Blue Reading a Letter (Rijksmuseum, 2024?) 

22. A Lady Standing at a Virginal (National Gallery (London), 2024)

23. A Lady Seated at a Virginal (National Gallery (London), 2024)

Definitely Not Seen Yet

24. The Geographer (Frankfurt)

25. The Art of Painting (Vienna)

26. The Guitar Player (Kenwood House)

27. The Music Lesson (Windsor Castle)

28. The Girl with a Wine Glass (Brunswick)

29. Woman with a Pearl Necklace (Berlin #1)

30. The Glass of Wine (Berlin #2)

31. Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (Dresden #1)

32. The Procuress (Dresden #2) 

33. Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (Edinburgh)

34. The Concert (yeah, stolen)