Vermeer Facts | Facts about Vermeers

How many paintings did Vermeer make?

Only about 34 to 37 paintings are attributed to Johannes Vermeer.

The "pearl" in "Girl with a Pearl Earring" may actually be glass or tin.

Johannes Vermeer used ultramarine blue made from crushed lapis lazuli, which was more expensive than gold.

Some experts think Johannes Vermeer may have used a camera obscura.

Johannes Vermeer was largely forgotten until critic Théophile Thoré-Bürger rediscovered him in the 1860s.

Han van Meegeren forged Vermeer paintings, and one was sold to Nazi leader Hermann Göring.

Johannes Vermeer's "The Concert," stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, is considered the most valuable stolen painting.

Johannes Vermeer had 11 children who survived.

Johannes Vermeer died in debt.

In 2023, the Rijksmuseum held the largest Vermeer exhibition ever, featuring 28 of his paintings.