The Young Vermeer

an exhibition by Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
3 September to 28 November 2010

Until recently, Vermeer´s early work – the starting point of his later style – received little attention. Within the scope of an international museum cooperation, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, the Mauritshuis in Den Haag and the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh each present three early works by Vermeer: Diana and Her Companions, around 1653/54; Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, around 1654/55 as well as The Procuress, 1656. The exhibition’s second station, Dresden, will show even more.

In Dresden, each of the three early works is confronted with other artworks, where Vermeer’s search for his own style as well as his distinction from his role models becomes especially apparent. National and international loans of artworks by famous artists such as Jacob van Loo, Jan van Bijlert, Matteo Rosselli and Simon Peter Tilmann offer views into Vermeer’s early period of picture development.

The painting Girl Reading a Letter by an Open Window, around 1659, is also exhibited. In 1742, the painting entered into the possession of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister and has been presented in a gilded rococo frame, the so-called Dresden Gallery Frame, ever since. After more than 250 years, the painting will now be displayed in a typical Dutch decorative frame for the first time. A selection of important artistic craftworks, such as furniture, vases, glasses and dishes, will accompany the presentation and will illustrate its process of origin.