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Delphi Masters of Art #2
Vermeer
Now acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age, Johannes Vermeer specialised in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life in his home city of Delft. The artist’s reputation fell into obscurity after his death and it was not until the 19th century that his work was rediscovered by Gustav Friedrich Waagen and Théophile Thoré-Bürger, who published an essay attributing 66 pictures to him. Since that time, Vermeer’s reputation has continued to grow, recognising his sublime genius in Baroque painting. A first of its kind in digital print, the ‘Masters of Art’ series allows eReaders to explore the works of the world’s greatest artists in comprehensive detail. Now you can own all of Vermeer’s works in stunning colour on your eReader. (Version 2)
Features:* The complete paintings of Johannes Vermeer
* Includes previously lost works, with annotations
* Concise introductions to the paintings, giving valuable contextual information
* Learn the secrets of the ALLEGORY OF HISTORY, THE MILK MAID and the interesting histories of stolen works
* Enlarged ‘Detail’ images, allowing you to explore Vermeer’s celebrated works in detail, as featured in traditional art books
* Hundreds of images in stunning colour – highly recommended for viewing on tablets and smart phones or as a valuable reference tool on more conventional eReaders
* Images of other works and media texts relating to Vermeer’s works
* A brief biography of the artist
* UPDATED with larger images
* Scholarly ordering of plates into chronological orderCONTENTS:Brief BiographyThe Paintings
CHRIST IN THE HOUSE OF MARTHA AND MARY
ST. PRAXEDIS
DIANA AND HER COMPANIONS
THE PROCURESS
A GIRL ASLEEP
GIRL READING A LETTER AT AN OPEN WINDOW
THE LITTLE STREET
OFFICER AND LAUGHING GIRL
THE MILKMAID
THE GLASS OF WINE
THE GIRL WITH TWO MEN
VIEW OF DELFT
GIRL INTERRUPTED AT HER MUSIC
WOMAN IN BLUE READING A LETTER
THE MUSIC LESSON
WOMAN HOLDING A BALANCE
WOMAN WITH A PEARL NECKLACE
WOMAN WITH A LUTE
YOUNG WOMAN WITH A JUG
THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING
A LADY WRITING
GIRL WITH A RED HAT
GIRL WITH A FLUTE
THE CONCERT
THE ART OF PAINTING
HEAD OF A YOUNG WOMAN
MISTRESS AND MAID
THE ASTRONOMER
THE GEOGRAPHER
THE LOVE LETTER
THE LACEMAKER
LADY WRITING A LETTER WITH HER MAID
ALLEGORY OF FAITH
THE GUITAR PLAYER
A LADY STANDING AT THE VIRGINAL
A LADY SEATED AT THE VIRGINAL
A YOUNG WOMAN SEATED AT THE VIRGINALS
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2012
154 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Johannes Vermeer
58 books4 followersJohannes, Jan or Johan Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque painter who specialized in exquisite, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial genre painter in his lifetime. He seems never to have been particularly wealthy, perhaps because he produced relatively few paintings, leaving his wife and children in debt at his death.
Vermeer worked slowly and with great care, using bright colours, sometimes expensive pigments, with a preference for cornflower blue and yellow. He is particularly renowned for his masterly treatment and use of light in his work.
After having been forgotten, but not by some connoisseurs, Vermeer was rediscovered by Gustav Friedrich Waagen and Thoré Bürger, who published an essay attributing sixty-six pictures to him, (although only thirty-five paintings are firmly attributed to him today). Since that time Vermeer's reputation has grown, and he is now acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age.
Vermeer worked slowly and with great care, using bright colours, sometimes expensive pigments, with a preference for cornflower blue and yellow. He is particularly renowned for his masterly treatment and use of light in his work.
After having been forgotten, but not by some connoisseurs, Vermeer was rediscovered by Gustav Friedrich Waagen and Thoré Bürger, who published an essay attributing sixty-six pictures to him, (although only thirty-five paintings are firmly attributed to him today). Since that time Vermeer's reputation has grown, and he is now acknowledged as one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 26, 2019
When I was a kid my father would take us to the different Chicago Museums and the Art Institute was on the list. I am not in the least artistic and my knowledge on art is extremely basic, so as I review the Delphi Master of Art Collection, I will give my opinion which is just mine and indeed not an expert.
Why do I want to look at these pictures now in my older years? I read a lot of classics and sometimes artists are mentioned, so I will have a better understanding of my reads but mostly, I want to look at something beautiful or interesting from the past.
I started with Johannes Vermeer. I will add some quotes about him and then tell you my thoughts on his works.
"Very little is known about the life of the Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer. He was baptised in Delft on 31 October 1632 as Joannis, and buried in the same city under the name Jan on 15 December 1675."
"In April 1653 Johannes Reijniersz Vermeer married a Catholic girl, Catharina Bolenes. The blessing took place in a nearby and quiet village Schipluiden. For the groom it was a good match. His mother-in-law, Maria Thins, was significantly wealthier than he, and it was probably she who insisted Vermeer convert to Catholicism before the marriage on 5 April. Some scholars doubt that Vermeer became Catholic, but one of his paintings, The Allegory of Catholic Faith, made between 1670 and 1672, reflects the belief in the Eucharist. Walter Liedtke in Dutch Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art suggests it was made for a Catholic patron, or for a schuilkerk, a hidden church. At some point the couple moved in with Catharina’s mother, who lived in a rather spacious house at Oude Langendijk, almost next to a hidden Jesuit church."
"In 1672 a severe economic downturn (the “Year of Disaster”) struck the Netherlands, after Louis XIV and a French army invaded the Dutch Republic from the south (known as the Franco-Dutch War). During the Third Anglo-Dutch War an English fleet and two allied German bishops attacked the country from the east causing more destruction. Many people panicked; courts, theatres, shops and schools were closed. Five years passed before circumstances improved. In the summer of 1675 Vermeer borrowed money in Amsterdam, using his mother-in-law as a surety. In December 1675 Vermeer fell into a frenzy and, within a day and a half, died. He was buried in the Protestant Old Church on 15 December 1675. Catharina Bolnes attributed her husband’s death to the stress of financial pressures."
So far Vermeer is my favorite and the reasons I enjoy his paintings are the details are so phenomenal and so real looking it is amazing. His stain glass windows are so wonderful to look at beautiful. He knows how to make his paintings three dimensional and almost like a photo. His colors are so rich and vibrant.
My favorites -
St. Praxedis
Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window
View of Delft
Woman Holding a Balance
The Girl with the Pearl Earring
The Art of Painting
Mistress and Maid
I enjoyed looking at a painting or two a day and then thinking about them and the beauty it adds to life.🌸💕
Why do I want to look at these pictures now in my older years? I read a lot of classics and sometimes artists are mentioned, so I will have a better understanding of my reads but mostly, I want to look at something beautiful or interesting from the past.
I started with Johannes Vermeer. I will add some quotes about him and then tell you my thoughts on his works.
"Very little is known about the life of the Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer. He was baptised in Delft on 31 October 1632 as Joannis, and buried in the same city under the name Jan on 15 December 1675."
"In April 1653 Johannes Reijniersz Vermeer married a Catholic girl, Catharina Bolenes. The blessing took place in a nearby and quiet village Schipluiden. For the groom it was a good match. His mother-in-law, Maria Thins, was significantly wealthier than he, and it was probably she who insisted Vermeer convert to Catholicism before the marriage on 5 April. Some scholars doubt that Vermeer became Catholic, but one of his paintings, The Allegory of Catholic Faith, made between 1670 and 1672, reflects the belief in the Eucharist. Walter Liedtke in Dutch Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art suggests it was made for a Catholic patron, or for a schuilkerk, a hidden church. At some point the couple moved in with Catharina’s mother, who lived in a rather spacious house at Oude Langendijk, almost next to a hidden Jesuit church."
"In 1672 a severe economic downturn (the “Year of Disaster”) struck the Netherlands, after Louis XIV and a French army invaded the Dutch Republic from the south (known as the Franco-Dutch War). During the Third Anglo-Dutch War an English fleet and two allied German bishops attacked the country from the east causing more destruction. Many people panicked; courts, theatres, shops and schools were closed. Five years passed before circumstances improved. In the summer of 1675 Vermeer borrowed money in Amsterdam, using his mother-in-law as a surety. In December 1675 Vermeer fell into a frenzy and, within a day and a half, died. He was buried in the Protestant Old Church on 15 December 1675. Catharina Bolnes attributed her husband’s death to the stress of financial pressures."
So far Vermeer is my favorite and the reasons I enjoy his paintings are the details are so phenomenal and so real looking it is amazing. His stain glass windows are so wonderful to look at beautiful. He knows how to make his paintings three dimensional and almost like a photo. His colors are so rich and vibrant.
My favorites -
St. Praxedis
Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window
View of Delft
Woman Holding a Balance
The Girl with the Pearl Earring
The Art of Painting
Mistress and Maid
I enjoyed looking at a painting or two a day and then thinking about them and the beauty it adds to life.🌸💕
July 15, 2019
I now see why many of Vermeer’s painting were difficult in attribution, and why some experts believe some are misattributed. His style is very different in some of the paintings, but mostly in the nuances.
I was surprised to learn that Vermeer used the expensive and rare color ultramarine made of Lapis Lazuli as an under layer, and his (probable) use of camera obscura. This made me wonder: maybe painters who didn’t sketch an under-paint before applying layers are all users obscura, tracing the image with no worries of making a mistakes...? I wonder if that may explain Caravaggio's amazing realism which he reached without any underpainting.
I also only now get his greatness and distinguished style, especially when portraying a female face. That da Vinciesque last supper sfumato effect.
With almost nothing known about his life and the great mystery around him, the enigma of Vermeer will carry on, unsolved by this book, which is clearly not the definite milestone in the study of Vermeer.
I was surprised to learn that Vermeer used the expensive and rare color ultramarine made of Lapis Lazuli as an under layer, and his (probable) use of camera obscura. This made me wonder: maybe painters who didn’t sketch an under-paint before applying layers are all users obscura, tracing the image with no worries of making a mistakes...? I wonder if that may explain Caravaggio's amazing realism which he reached without any underpainting.
I also only now get his greatness and distinguished style, especially when portraying a female face. That da Vinciesque last supper sfumato effect.
With almost nothing known about his life and the great mystery around him, the enigma of Vermeer will carry on, unsolved by this book, which is clearly not the definite milestone in the study of Vermeer.
November 14, 2015
Lovely to see all Vermeer's works
Having an 8 inch Kindle screen to see these wonderful paintings was helpful. Nice to see them closely without being told not to stand too close, as happens in a museum.
Having an 8 inch Kindle screen to see these wonderful paintings was helpful. Nice to see them closely without being told not to stand too close, as happens in a museum.
July 29, 2020
I came to know about Johannes Vermeer (who was a Dutch painter in the 17th century), when i watched the movie "Girl with a pearl earring", and then read the book. This man is pure art, and a genius. Vermeer based his pictures on domestic situations; typically in the same room, with an exquisite use of colours and a masterful use of light. Everything in his painting looks so real, and so serene.
February 19, 2018
I love Vermeer's work. I love these books, at such an amazing price, that contain all of great artists' works. I expect I will collect them.
December 6, 2015
Perfect on an iPad
I just switched from using a kindle paperwhite to using the Kindle app on an iPad mini so that I could look at these Delphi MofA books on my go to commuting tablet. I spend a lot of time looking at the Vermeers at the Met and the Frick, and I can confirm that the reproductions in this book look fantastic on the iPad; a kindle fire user could tell whether or not they look great on that tablet as well.
I just switched from using a kindle paperwhite to using the Kindle app on an iPad mini so that I could look at these Delphi MofA books on my go to commuting tablet. I spend a lot of time looking at the Vermeers at the Met and the Frick, and I can confirm that the reproductions in this book look fantastic on the iPad; a kindle fire user could tell whether or not they look great on that tablet as well.
September 5, 2017
Beautiful collection of Vermeer's work
Wonderful set of Vermeer's paintings with fascinating tidbits about how various works were discovered and rediscovered over the centuries, the possible use of the camera obscura, influences on Vermeer, and how several of the paintings were stolen and later recovered. I only wish some of the descriptions were longer.
Wonderful set of Vermeer's paintings with fascinating tidbits about how various works were discovered and rediscovered over the centuries, the possible use of the camera obscura, influences on Vermeer, and how several of the paintings were stolen and later recovered. I only wish some of the descriptions were longer.
December 4, 2015
Brilliant book
I chose this book because I am developing my painting style to that of the old masters. This book is fantastic, it has wonderful photos and explanations of each painting.
I chose this book because I am developing my painting style to that of the old masters. This book is fantastic, it has wonderful photos and explanations of each painting.
December 30, 2015
well done Art
Having been a lover of art since an early age, this series by Delphi is excellent. The colors and zoom ability present art in a new way.
Having been a lover of art since an early age, this series by Delphi is excellent. The colors and zoom ability present art in a new way.
Read
June 11, 2016Absolutely beautiful! I keep going back and looking at the works. For extra fun, keep this book near you as you read Travelling with Vermeer.
February 1, 2016
Very good pictures and accompanying details
I just found the first pictures too small but then when I figured out how tap on the picture to make it large that was a big help.
I just found the first pictures too small but then when I figured out how tap on the picture to make it large that was a big help.
September 17, 2023
Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter in the mid 1600s who, like Van Gogh and a few others, were not famous until long after their deaths. Vermeer is renowned for his ability to capture light and create serene, intimate moods in his paintings. His work was unique; he idealized a domestic world occupied mostly by women, whose postures, behavior and expressions suggest close study and sympathy. Vermeer depicted these intimate scenes of domestic life and the most famous paintings were interior scenes of young women engaged in reading, writing, playing a musical instrument or doing house work. Silence dominates all these paintings, broken only by the scratching of a pen, a tune played on a harpsichord or milk pouring from a jug. Vermeer is known as the Master of Light and Texture. In the Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, for example, the light shining into the room showcases the texture of the bread on the table. Most famous, perhaps, is The Girl with the Pearl Earring, because it was featured in in a 1990s novel and movie by the same name.
He often suggests some connection between the main figure in the portrait and the viewer, subtly casting the latter in the role of a spellbound voyeur. Some experts claim that most paintings were done showing the interiors of just two rooms of his house (as noted from the white and black floors as well as the same maps or paintings on the walls in different pieces of art).
Vermeer was well versed on geometry, perspective and incorporating architectural vanishing points into his paintings. Long before the camera was invented, he produced works with such great detail to attention that they rival the clarity of photographs. Also, most times the source of light is a window at the 9 o’clock position, the painter being positioned and the viewer at the 6 o’clock position and the subject of the painting in the middle. Vermeer’s trademark, also, is the use of heavy curtains pulled to the side, evoking a theatrical feeling and many viewers describe looking at these paintings as though they have secretly entered the subject’s life unknown to her or him.
The painting, The Artist’s Studio, allows us a glimpse into Vermeer’s home studio. He added a truly unusual and appealing feature – the painter, himself, at work and his back to the viewer. This painting, dated 1666, was stolen by the Nazis but recovered by the Allied Forces, known as the Monument Men.
He often suggests some connection between the main figure in the portrait and the viewer, subtly casting the latter in the role of a spellbound voyeur. Some experts claim that most paintings were done showing the interiors of just two rooms of his house (as noted from the white and black floors as well as the same maps or paintings on the walls in different pieces of art).
Vermeer was well versed on geometry, perspective and incorporating architectural vanishing points into his paintings. Long before the camera was invented, he produced works with such great detail to attention that they rival the clarity of photographs. Also, most times the source of light is a window at the 9 o’clock position, the painter being positioned and the viewer at the 6 o’clock position and the subject of the painting in the middle. Vermeer’s trademark, also, is the use of heavy curtains pulled to the side, evoking a theatrical feeling and many viewers describe looking at these paintings as though they have secretly entered the subject’s life unknown to her or him.
The painting, The Artist’s Studio, allows us a glimpse into Vermeer’s home studio. He added a truly unusual and appealing feature – the painter, himself, at work and his back to the viewer. This painting, dated 1666, was stolen by the Nazis but recovered by the Allied Forces, known as the Monument Men.
December 15, 2025
Wenn es einen Künstler gibt, der das Prinzip „Qualität vor Quantität“ in seiner reinsten Form verkörpert, dann ist es Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675). Von diesem stillen Meister sind weniger als vierzig Gemälde überliefert – und gerade deshalb ist diese Delphi-Classics-Ausgabe der Complete Works ein Ereignis. Sie ist nicht einfach ein Buch, sondern die Goldreserve der Kunstgeschichte, kompakt versammelt auf dem eigenen Bildschirm.
Vermeer war kein bloßer Maler. Er war ein Genie der Optik und der akustischen Stille. Seine Bilder sind keine Darstellungen, sondern Meditationen über das Licht. Die Innenräume des Delft des 17. Jahrhunderts verwandelte er in eine Art heilige Geometrie. Wer Die Milchmagd betrachtet, sieht keine Frau beim Eingießen, sondern die Ewigkeit, eingefangen in einem einzigen Sonnenstrahl. Jedes Detail wird zum Ereignis: die Perlen im Teppich, das vibrierende Ultramarinblau der Schatten, die absolute Ruhe der Komposition.
Diese Sammlung rollt den roten Teppich für die Ikonen aus, die längst Teil der Popkultur geworden sind – allen voran Das Mädchen mit dem Perlenohrring, dessen Blick uns bis heute festhält. Die eigentliche Stärke dieser Ausgabe liegt jedoch in der Gegenüberstellung des gesamten Œuvres: von der intimen Stille einer Briefleserin bis zur majestätischen Weite der Ansicht von Delft. Man erkennt unweigerlich: Es gibt hier keine Fehlversuche, keine Nebenwerke, keine Kompromisse – nur konzentrierte Perfektion.
Indem Delphi Classics das vollständige, so schmerzlich rare Werk eines Künstlers versammelt, dem das Schicksal nur ein kurzes Leben in Delft gewährte, entsteht ein unschätzbarer Schatz. Wer dieses E-Book besitzt, hält das gesamte Schaffen eines Genies in Händen – ein größeres Wunder noch als die technische Meisterschaft seiner Pinselstriche. Ein Muss für alle, die Qualität in Reinkultur verehren.
Vermeer war kein bloßer Maler. Er war ein Genie der Optik und der akustischen Stille. Seine Bilder sind keine Darstellungen, sondern Meditationen über das Licht. Die Innenräume des Delft des 17. Jahrhunderts verwandelte er in eine Art heilige Geometrie. Wer Die Milchmagd betrachtet, sieht keine Frau beim Eingießen, sondern die Ewigkeit, eingefangen in einem einzigen Sonnenstrahl. Jedes Detail wird zum Ereignis: die Perlen im Teppich, das vibrierende Ultramarinblau der Schatten, die absolute Ruhe der Komposition.
Diese Sammlung rollt den roten Teppich für die Ikonen aus, die längst Teil der Popkultur geworden sind – allen voran Das Mädchen mit dem Perlenohrring, dessen Blick uns bis heute festhält. Die eigentliche Stärke dieser Ausgabe liegt jedoch in der Gegenüberstellung des gesamten Œuvres: von der intimen Stille einer Briefleserin bis zur majestätischen Weite der Ansicht von Delft. Man erkennt unweigerlich: Es gibt hier keine Fehlversuche, keine Nebenwerke, keine Kompromisse – nur konzentrierte Perfektion.
Indem Delphi Classics das vollständige, so schmerzlich rare Werk eines Künstlers versammelt, dem das Schicksal nur ein kurzes Leben in Delft gewährte, entsteht ein unschätzbarer Schatz. Wer dieses E-Book besitzt, hält das gesamte Schaffen eines Genies in Händen – ein größeres Wunder noch als die technische Meisterschaft seiner Pinselstriche. Ein Muss für alle, die Qualität in Reinkultur verehren.
August 21, 2025
How to read a book which has hardly any words? This is a collection of images of all 37 paintings by Johannes Vermeer, including close-up details. The task I set myself was to spend a considerable with each image and let my mind wander wherever it took me. (This is harder than it sounds). Before long, clearly defined characteristics of the artist's style begin to emerge.
It is easy to fall in love with Vermeer. The apportionment of space, the sharp perspective, careful rendition of the precise quality of light belonging to the Dutch latitude, the astonishing appearance of exuberant colours against subdued backgrounds, the handling of certain everyday objects - heavy folds of cloth, furniture, reflective objects - the grace and serenity of his subjects - all are a feast for the eye.
It is easy to fall in love with Vermeer. The apportionment of space, the sharp perspective, careful rendition of the precise quality of light belonging to the Dutch latitude, the astonishing appearance of exuberant colours against subdued backgrounds, the handling of certain everyday objects - heavy folds of cloth, furniture, reflective objects - the grace and serenity of his subjects - all are a feast for the eye.
May 13, 2019
A good look at Vermeer's paintings
I enjoyed the back story about each painting. I am a fan of Vermeer's work. The painting of the girl with the pearl earrings is one of my favorite paintings!
I enjoyed the back story about each painting. I am a fan of Vermeer's work. The painting of the girl with the pearl earrings is one of my favorite paintings!
December 16, 2019
Rich Succinct view of Vermeer
I love Vermeers work. This is first full color catalog I have seen of his work. The close ups and explanations of details was interesting. The biological information was short but provided a good overview of his life.
I love Vermeers work. This is first full color catalog I have seen of his work. The close ups and explanations of details was interesting. The biological information was short but provided a good overview of his life.
January 30, 2025
Vermeer Master of Light
I learned the subtitle "The Northern Mona Lisa," which so expressively describes this masterpiece, from reading this book. I will always think of it that way.
I learned the subtitle "The Northern Mona Lisa," which so expressively describes this masterpiece, from reading this book. I will always think of it that way.
October 15, 2018
Comprehensive and nice to be the first book
A quite comprehensive book of Vermeer. It’s nice to take a look at it if you want to get to know this Master.
A quite comprehensive book of Vermeer. It’s nice to take a look at it if you want to get to know this Master.
July 26, 2023
Great way to learn about the artists in the series and their work. Loved the detail photos of portions of painting.
October 4, 2023
These Delphi Masters are stunning on the Kindle.
June 4, 2024
Very brief in the explanation and background. This is introductory at best.
April 24, 2020
A beautiful collection of the works by the once obscure Vermeer.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews