(Amsterdam) Experts have discovered a pitcher holder and a basket hidden in the painting The milk girl of the Dutch master of the XVIIe century Johannes Vermeer, over which he then painted, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam announced on Thursday.
Posted at 10:04 a.m.
Updated at 10:21 a.m.
The “surprising” discoveries in the more than 350-year-old work shed new light on the methods of the elusive artist, ahead of the largest ever exhibition of his work scheduled for 2023 at the Rijksmuseum.
Advanced scanning techniques revealed that beneath the plain white wall that makes the milkmaid’s bright yellow and blue clothes stand out, Vermeer had originally painted additional detail.
“It reveals an unexpected new Vermeer, it’s stunning,” Gregor Weber, head of fine arts at the Rijksmuseum, told a news conference.
These changes mean that the iconic figure of the milkmaid, seen in the painting pouring a trickle of milk from an earthenware jug, “stands before us in a much more monumental way”, he notes.
The researchers knew, thanks to X-rays carried out a decade ago, that there were things hidden under the layers of paint of “The Milkmaid”, without knowing which ones.
” Too loaded “
One of the most important findings is that the artist had sketched a wooden pitcher rack on the wall just behind the milkmaid’s head.
They had previously thought it might be a fireplace. But a new technique, called “short-wavelength infrared reflectance,” clearly showed the details of the jugs and wooden frame.
Usually used for industrial inspections and for military purposes, the technique produces “false color” images that show the sketch in blue, when in reality it was in black paint.
The museum used similar methods to uncover the creative process behind The night watch by Rembrandt and The girl with the pearl by Vermeer, a painter of whom no drawing or study remains.
“What we discovered with The milk girl, is that initially, she did not have a very beautiful white wall behind her. No, there was a hanging shelf with jugs,” Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum, told AFP.
After reflection, Vermeer said to himself: “That’s too busy a composition, I’m going to paint it over,” says Dibbits.
“Less is more”
Experts have made another key discovery: a previously spotted shaded outline can now be thought of as a willow-woven “fire basket,” once used to air clothes.
The researchers further found a thick line of black paint “hastily applied” under the milkmaid’s left arm, showing that Vermeer had apparently made a quick initial sketch.
All objects and details have been covered with paint by Vermeer in his quest for perfection.
The pitcher rack was later replaced with the crisp white wall, while the basket became a much smaller foot warmer.
The changes he made would be crucial for his later works, painted in simplicity with blocks of color and a play of light and shadow.
We find them in particular in his emblematic work The girl with the pearlwhich will also be part of the flagship exhibition, experts said.
“He learned that less is more,” Weber said.
The exhibition, scheduled from February 10 to June 4, 2023, will bring together 27 of the painter’s 35 works from museums around the world.
Little is known about Vermeer (1632-1675), who lived a modest life in the city of Delft during the “golden age” of Dutch painting.
“This will be the first and last time the public will see 27 Vermeers together,” Dibbits said.