Dutch Society in the Age of Vermeer

In this richly illustrated book nine authors - historians and art historians - provide background information about socio-economical aspects of the province of Holland in the 17th century. Their Leitmotiv is the bibliography of the painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). This prompts examinations of the environment in which Vermeer lived and worked and a critical scrutiny of certain biographical data and accepted views on the painter. One question that arises is whether he really was the unrecognised genius or impoverished artist of popular opinion. This book examines Vermeer's social background, his training, the professional rules he had to observe, the 'market' for which he painted, the prices of his paintings and his income.