The Procuress

Johannes Vermeer, the master of domestic interior scenes of middle-class life was born in October 31th, 1632. We would feature one of his works, one among 34 that are universally attributed to him then, but we are preparing something special for Halloween. So here it is, the today's Vermeer. 

The Procuress was painted when Johannes Vermeer was only 24 years old, three years after he was accepted to the artist guild. It is his first genre painting and it shows a scene of contemporary life, an image of mercenary love perhaps in a brothel. The name "The Procuress" was given to the painting at the end of the nineteenth century. The woman in black, the leering coupler, "in a nun's costume", could be the eponymous procuress, while the man to her right, "wearing a black beret and a doublet with slashed sleeves", has been identified as a self portrait of the artist.
Unlike the figures in the previous Vermeer's works, these people are not portrayed full-length. Instead, the lower half of the painting is completely taken up by an oriental rug, the yellow and red of which are mirrored in the couple's clothing to create a striking image.

By the way, see how beautiful this rug is!
see you tomorrow,
Zuzanna

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