Young Woman with a Water Pitcher
Johannes Vermeer, Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, ca. 1662. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889.
Background
Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) was a Dutch painter who worked during the Dutch Golden Age, a period in the 1600s when culture in the Dutch Republic flourished. Vermeer’s paintings are famous for being very realistic, particularly the way he painted light and shadow. He also used very expensive materials to make the colors he used in his work. Vermeer’s paintings are useful to historians because they offer a window onto life in the Dutch Republic in the 1600s.
About the Image
This portrait captures the authority and prestige of the Dutch trading empire in the 1600s. The style of the young woman’s clothing marks her as a member of the Dutch middle class—the merchants, clerks, and other professionals who made their living from international trade. Women as well as men could make their living buying and selling goods from all over the world, and in the 1600s, trade was a pathway to wealth and prosperity.
The materials that make up her outfit come from all over the world. Her hood and collar are made of high-quality linen, spun from flax imported from Scotland, Greece, or the Americas. The deep blue color of her skirt was created using indigo imported from India or Japan. Her fitted bodice is made from silk imported from China. All together, these pieces demonstrate the extensive reach of the Dutch trade empire.
The young woman is surrounded by even more symbols that tell the story of the power and possibility of Dutch trade. The carpet draped across the table represents trade with India, while the silver used to make the pitcher and bowl was mined in South America. The map on the wall symbolizes that Holland, a province of the Dutch Republic, is at the center of this web of commerce. The open window symbolizes that the country is open to the opportunities and influences of international trade, and the position of the young woman’s body welcomes all of these influences into the home of the model Dutch family.
Vocabulary
- bodice: The vest part of a woman’s dress.
- Dutch Republic: The name of the country of the Dutch in Europe from 1581 to 1795.
- flax: A blue flowered plant.
- indigo: A tropical plant used to make dark blue dyes.
- linen: A type of cloth woven from fibers from flax.
Discussion Questions
- What does this painting reveal about the Dutch trading empire?
- Why did Vermeer choose a young woman for the subject of this painting?
- Why are paintings a valuable resource for studying societies of the past?
Suggested Activities
- Invite students to cut up the painting and place each trade item on a world map to create a striking visual of the expanse of the Dutch trade empire.
- Every trade item represented in the painting had its own journey from raw material to finished product. Assign students a research project where they dig deeper into the way one of the items in the painting was produced.
- Teach this image together with Johannes Lingelbach’s painting of New Amsterdam in the 1650s (see New World—New Netherland—New York) for a rich lesson on life in the Dutch Golden Age.
- The riches on display in this painting came at a high human cost. To explore this issue further, teach this painting in conjunction with the resources about the Middle Passage and the encomienda system.
- Explore the depiction of women’s roles in the Dutch trade empire of the 1600s through the analysis of Vermeer’s painting Young Woman with a Water Pitcher. Through collage, students will use perspective and layering techniques to create their own contemporary portrait of wealth and trade.
Themes
WORK, LABOR, AND ECONOMY
New-York Historical Society Curriculum Library Connections
- For more resources relating to Dutch trade, see the New World—New Netherland—New York curriculum guide.
- For more resources relating to trade and natural resources in the New World, see Nueva York: 1613-1945.