Why it matters
Vermeer's only cityscape shows his hometown across the still water of the Kolk harbour, with sunlight falling on the spire of the Nieuwe Kerk. He painted it from an elevated position and quietly rearranged the town to perfect the composition.
Did you know?
- Vermeer painted his initials, VM, on the passenger barge on the left.
- He painted out a third figure next to the two women on the quay.
- It has been in the Mauritshuis since the museum's founding in 1822.
Based on the Wikipedia article View of Delft (CC BY-SA 4.0).
