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View of Delft

Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life.

Max Resolution:3000×2491 PX

Title:View of Delft

Original Title:Gezicht op Delft

Artists:Johannes Vermeer

Date:c.1660 - c.1661

Style:Baroque

Genre:cityscape

Medium:oil,canvas

Location:Mauritshuis, Hague, Netherlands

Dimensions:96.5×117.5 cm

Copyright:Public domain

View of Delft (Dutch: Gezicht op Delft) is an oil painting by Johannes Vermeer, painted ca. 1660–1661. The painting of the Dutch artist's hometown is among his most popular, painted at a time when cityscapes were uncommon. It is one of three known paintings of Delft by Vermeer, along with The Little Street and the lost painting House Standing in Delft. The use of pointillism in the work suggests that it postdates The Little Street.

The technical analysis shows that Vermeer used a limited choice of pigments for this painting: lead white, yellow ochre, natural ultramarine and madder lake are the main painting materials. His painting technique on the other hand is very elaborate and meticulous.

In 2011, the painting was featured on gold and silver commemorative coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint. The painting also features in Marcel Proust's novel In Search of Lost Time. Proust himself greatly admired Vermeer, particularly a View of Delft. When seeing the work for the first time, Proust is quoted as saying:

"Ever since I saw the View of Delft in the museum in The Hague, I have known that I had seen the most beautiful painting in the world".