1. Painter of Delft 1632-1675 A Lady Writing c. 1665-1666 Oil on canvas, 45 x 39.9 cm. The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

3.  Who do you think this woman is?  What details do you notice in this painting?  What does this painting tell you about life in a Dutch home in the 1600’s?

4.  Compare the pitchers found in this painting and in The Kitchen Maid. How are they different? How are they alike?  Compare the rest of this picture with The Kitchen Maid. How are they different? How are they alike?  What do you think this woman is looking at?

5.  Knowledge of the world was constantly increasing during the 17th century.  Geographers were integrating the observations of sailors to produce ever more exact maps.

6.  What do you think this woman is reading?  What do you see that makes you think that?  How do you think she feels?

7.  How is this painting similar to the previous one?  How is it different?  Do you notice any objects in this painting that you have seen in other Vermeer paintings?

8.  Do you see any familiar elements in this painting?  What do you think is happening in this picture?

9.  This is one of Vermeer’s last known paintings.  During World War II, Adolf Hitler bought this painting for a museum he planned to open.

10.  The diagonal lines in the room all point to the woman’s sleeve.  How many familiar Vermeer props can you finds in this painting?

11.  We do not know who this girl was, but do you think she is someone you might like? Why, or why not?  What do you think she is feeling?

12.  This woman is preparing to weigh coins or jewelry using a balance scale.  One pan of the scale held brass weights, and the other held the item to be weighed.

13. Essential Vermeer  http://essentialvermeer.20m.com/ http://essentialvermeer.20m.com/ Evergreen Art Discovery  http://artdiscovery.info/rotations/rotation- 1/packet-3/