size of the original painting: 18 inches x 16 inches
It’s amazing to think that today we drink milk and eat bread just like people did in 1650, the time this painting was made. Do you think it tastes the same? Did people at that time drink milk warm or cold? It probably came fresh from a cow in the barn instead of bought at a store. And look at the wonderful variety of breads on the table. Which one would you eat? Imagine feeling the texture of the seeds that dot the breads. What would it smell like? And would you spread butter on top?
Vermeer noticed beauty in small, ordinary things. Look at all of the details in this painting! When you examine the milkmaid’s dress, it seems coarse from a distance—and it probably is compared to more expensive fashion in Vermeer’s life. But the way Vermeer painted it shows subtly beautiful color variations. How many colors can you find? Now look at the wall. Although it’s also plain with nothing fancy on it, there is beauty in the cracks and holes. And on the table, the inconsistent structures and grains dotting the bread gives it character and charm.
If you’re wondering what the box is on the floor, it’s a foot warmer!
To Think About:
• How old is this woman?
• Does she like to work?
• What is she thinking about?
• How early does she wake up to go to work?
• Did she milk the cows for the milk she’s pouring?
• What is she doing with the milk? Turning it into butter? Letting it separate for cream? Making it into cheese? (Some people think she’s mixing stale bread with milk to make bread porridge or bread pudding.)
• Is she humming or singing?
• What do you think she can see outside that window?
• What time of day is this?
• What time of year?
Use your senses as you examine this painting. What different textures can you feel? What would you smell? What might you hear? What would you taste?
Look at all these questions from one picture! What questions do you want to ask?
Fun Fact about The Milkmaid:
Vermeer originally painted a large map on the wall behind the maid and a large basket of clothes on the floor, then decided to paint over both items.
Meet the Artist:
Johannes Vermeer and his wife had 15 children (11 surviving). With so many mouths to feed, he juggled three jobs as an artist, an art dealer, and an innkeeper. Johannes was probably self-taught and painted slowly, making almost 50 paintings in his life (about three a year). Only 34 survived.
People especially love how Johannes painted light, usually shining from a window on the left.
Fun facts about Vermeer:
• You will find that many of Vermeer’s paintings look suspiciously alike. That’s because he often set up scenes inside two rooms in his house!
• Vermeer only dated three paintings, so we just have to guess when the others were made.
• Outside of his hometown, not many people knew about Vermeer’s art until two centuries after he died.
• Vermeer had expensive art tastes. He loved painting with ultramarine, which is made from crushed lapis lazuli—a beautifully blue, metamorphic rock that people use for jewelry. That’s what makes his blues so brilliant!
Where in the world: The Netherlands
