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Which early paintings by Johannes Vermeer depict biblical or mythological subjects?
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Johannes Vermeer
Girl with a Pearl Earring, oil on canvas by Johannes Vermeer, c. 1665; in the Mauritshuis, The Hague.
In the early 1650s, Johannes Vermeer began his career by painting large-scale works that drew upon biblical and mythological themes. Two notable examples of these early paintings include:1
- Diana and Her Nymphs (c. 1653–54), which depicts a mythological subject.2
- Christ in the House of Mary and Martha (c. 1654–55), which portrays a biblical scene.2
These early works reflect the influence of various artistic traditions, including the expressive styles of the Utrecht school and the chiaroscuro effects associated with Rembrandt van Rijn. While Vermeer later became most famous for his genre paintings depicting scenes of daily life, he remained a history painter at his core, often incorporating allegorical elements into his more mature works.213