Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring has been called the "Mona Lisa of the North," and the comparison is apt. Like Leonardo's portrait, this painting of an unknown girl turning to glance over her shoulder has captivated viewers for centuries with its combination of intimacy and mystery. Who was she? Why does she look at us that way? Vermeer left no answers.

The work technically a "tronie," a Dutch Golden Age genre showing an anonymous figure in exotic costume rather than a specific individual. The girl wears a blue and yellow turban and an impossibly large pearl earring that catches light from an unseen source. Vermeer built her face from subtle gradations of color, her lips slightly parted, her eyes glistening with reflected light.

Vermeer worked slowly, producing only about 34 paintings in his lifetime. He died in debt at 43, and his work was largely forgotten until rediscovery in the 19th century. Today this small painting draws crowds to the Mauritshuis in The Hague, where its quiet presence commands an entire wall. The portrait's timeless elegance has made it an enduring choice for portrait art enthusiasts.