Vermeer, Jan (1632-1675)
The Art of Painting (De Schilderkunst)
c.1666–1668
Oil on canvas, 120 x 100 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Signature: Marked on the lower border strip of the map: I Ver-Meer
Inscribed on the top border of the map: NOVA XVII PROV[IN]CIARUM [GERMAINIAE INF]ERI[O]RIS DESCRIPTIO / ET ACCURATA EARUNDEM … DE NO[VO] EM[EN]D[ATA] … REC[TISS]IME EDIT[A P]ER NICOLAUM PISCATOREM
With his depiction of the painter in his studio, Vermeer turns this genre painting into an allegory of the art of painting. His model is posing as Clio, the Muse of history, who inspires the painter and proclaims the glory of painting in the old Netherlands, which she has immortalised in the book of history. The unity of the arts is reflected in the sculpture model, sketchbook and the work in progress on the easel. The map with the 17 provinces of the Netherlands before they were divided into north and south is a reference to a land that had always owed its fame to the art of painting. (KHM)