Guide Mauritshuis
This book is the next best thing to a visit to the Mauritshuis
Dutch
Souvenirs from The Girl with the Pearl Earring.
The Girl with the pearl is the most famous painting by Vermeer. It is not a portrait, but a 'tronie': a fantasy head. Tronies depict a certain type or character, in this case a girl in exotic clothing, with an oriental turban and an incredibly large pearl in her ear.
Vermeer was the master of light. Here you can see this in the softness of the girl's face, the shiny lights on her moist lips and the shiny pearl.
