Johannes Vermeer created this luminous picture in the seventeenth century, when Rembrandt also lived. There are only thirty-six paintings by Vermeer known to exist, and you will find five of them here at The Met. Vermeer is best known for his pictures of quiet interiors, populated by women. In these domestic worlds, Vermeer invests a simple scene with a sense of poetic truth. Look at the crisp, white fabric that covers the woman’s head and shoulders, and the careful description of the way light enters her room—from the diffuse illumination of the wall to the gleaming highlights on the pitcher and basin. Vermeer has a spellbinding talent to capture every nuance of light’s optical effects. The composition is exquisitely structured, with every element in perfect balance. The image seems entirely self-contained, and yet it points to places far from Holland—the map on the wall suggests the wider world, and the carpet spread over the table is a Turkish import. The next stop will take you far from Europe; you’ll go back to the Great Hall balcony to travel to the Ancient Near East.