Does Vermeer hide a self-portrait under his drawing? The maid fell asleep (1656–57), as some art historians have learned? New research from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s science team shows that yes.
Research conducted by the New York agency determined that there was an excessive number of characters in the background of the painting – a man seemed to paint with his left hand, meaning he was a reflection of the frame. Art newspaper Report. However, the image was too blurry to see his facial features.
The report includes further support for the view that the primer is a self-portrait: 16955 paintings by Nicolaes Maes Naughty drummer (Hold in the collection of the Thyssen-Benisiza National Museum), completed about a year ago The maid fell asleep. As the Metropolitan experts pointed out, Maes painted a mother scolding her young son because his noisy drums awakened a sleeping baby. A framed mirror appears to hang on the wall above the mother and reflect in it – the artist on his easel. It is generally believed that Vermeer is familiar with Maes’s works and may have even seen them Naughty drummerthe museum believes.
The Mets’ team raised the possibility of a self-portrait drawn by Vermeer in 2023. If the theory is believed, the woman who beats ze at the dining table is not a maid, but an artist’s model. The idea gets her compelling decoration: pearl earrings and a luxurious red dress, a rare property for servants.
