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How did the French invasion of Holland in 1672 affect Johannes Vermeer?
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Johannes Vermeer
Girl with a Pearl Earring, oil on canvas by Johannes Vermeer, c. 1665; in the Mauritshuis, The Hague.
The French invasion of Holland in 1672 triggered a disastrous economic climate that severely impacted Johannes Vermeer’s financial stability. As the demand for paintings dropped heavily following the invasion and the subsequent economic collapse, Vermeer’s personal fortunes deteriorated drastically.123
By the time of his death in 1675, just three years after the invasion, Vermeer was heavily in debt. He left behind his wife and 11 children in poverty, and his wife believed that the intense stress caused by these financial hardships had ruined his health.12