Geographical Distribution of Vermeer's Paintings

The Louvre, originally a royal palace, was transformed into a public museum during the French Revolution in 1793. It is one of the largest and most historic museums in the world, attracting millions of visitors each year. The Louvre’s collection includes The Lacemaker by Vermeer, a small yet captivating painting that demonstrates his meticulous attention to detail and texture.

The Louvre's painting collection is one of the richest in the world, representing all periods of European art up to Impressionism. The vast museum complex is situated on the right bank of the Seine, in the city's 1st arrondissement. Housed in the Louvre Palace, it was originally built in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II, after which it was progressively extended until it was transformed into a museum in the 18th century.

The Museum covers an area of about 210,000 square meters, with about 60,600 square meters devoted to public exhibition space. As of 2021, it contains more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art from prehistory to the 21st century, exhibited over eight departments.

Among the many significant works housed at the Louvre are the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo, and Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix.

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The Städelsches Kunstinstitut, more commonly known as the Städel Museum, is one of the most prominent and oldest art museums in Germany. It was established by the Frankfurt banker and merchant Johann Friedrich Städel in 1815, and today houses an impressive collection that covers major European artistic movements from the early 14th century to the present day. The collection includes masterpieces from artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Rembrandt van Rijn, Vermeer, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and many more.

In addition to its collection of paintings, the museum also boasts 100,000 drawings and prints, as well as 600 sculptures. It has a library of 115,000 books and a large photographic collection.

The Städel Museum has undergone several renovations and expansions to accommodate its growing collection. Most notably, an underground extension was completed in 2012 to house the museum's collection of contemporary art. The Museum contains one painting by Vermeer, The Geographer.

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Opened in 1891, the Kunsthistorisches Museum was built to house the extensive Habsburg collections, including those of ancient, medieval, and Renaissance art. Among its treasures, Vermeer's The Art of Painting stands out as a self-reflective work that comments on the nature of art and the artist’s role. This painting is often seen as a key piece in understanding Vermeer’s artistic philosophy and is celebrated for its elaborate symbolism and stunning realism.​

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The world-renowned of the Dresden Old Masters Picture Gallery (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister) is founded on its outstanding collection of masterpieces of European art. Housed in the Zwinger complex, among the primary focuses of its holdings are Italian painting of the Renaissance—as exemplified by major works of Raphael, Giorgione, and Titian—as well as works in the Mannerist and Baroque styles. Of equal significance is the inventory of Dutch and Flemish paintings of the 17th century. The Gallery's most famous painting is perhaps Raphael's Sistine Madonna (1513), renowned for the two cherubs at the Madonna's feet, which have been reproduced countless times. Other notable works in the collection include Sleeping Venus by Giorgione and Rembrandt's Self-Portrait with Saskia. Not only are Rembrandt and his followers represented with a large number of works of superb quality, but the collection also comprises two extraordinary paintings by Vermeer (The Procuress and the Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window), Jacob van Ruisdael, and the great Flemish artists Rubens, Jordaens, and Van Dyck.

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The Kunsthistorisches Museum's magnificent architecture creates a fitting setting for the artistic treasures assembled by the Habsburgs. The collections of the Museum are amongst the most important and spectacular in the world. The 16th-century Kunst- und Wunderkammer (art and treasure chambers) of Archduke Ferdinand and of Emperor Rudolph II, together with the baroque collections of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, form the nucleus of the Museum's magnificent collections, in which the taste and artistic preferences of these and other connoisseurs of the Imperial Family are still discernible today, thus conveying a sense of the Imperial glory of the art-loving Habsburg dynasty.

Some of the most notable pieces in the Picture Gallery include works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael, and Rembrandt. The world's largest Bruegel collection is one of the most moving assemblies of pictures in any art institution and alone is worth a trip to Vienna for an art lover.

The collection houses one of Vermeer's key works, The Art of Painting.

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The Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum houses the fourth largest picture gallery of Old Masters in Germany, along with sculptures, and artwork from the ancient world to the early modern age, as well as a collection of prints (Kupferstichkabinett) with works from the Middle Ages to the present day. Established in 1754 by Duke Charles I of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, it is one of the oldest museums in Europe. The Museum was named after Duke Anthony Ulrich of Brunswick-Lüneburg (German: Herzog Anton Ulrich von Braunschweig-Lüneburg), who was one of the most passionate art collectors of the seventeenth century. It is known for its extensive collection of European art, ranging from the Middle Ages to modern times. The collection includes approximately four thousandpaintings and sculptures, more than 100,000 prints and drawings, and an extensive collection of decorative art.

It is particularly renowned for its collection of Dutch and Flemish art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, featuring works by masters such as Rembrandt, Rubens, and Jan Brueghel the Elder. The museum also has a notable collection of Italian Renaissance paintings, as well as German artwork from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

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The Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery) possesses one of the world's finest collections of European art from the 13th to 18th century. After the collection was founded in 1830, it was systematically built up and refined. The exhibition includes masterpieces by artists representing various epochs of art history, including Vermeer, Van Eyck, Brueghel, Dürer, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, and Rembrandt.

The Octagonal Rembrandt room enjoys a key position at the heart of the museum. The sixteen works by this artist form one of the largest and highest quality collections of Rembrandt paintings. They are complemented by additional gems of Dutch and Flemish painting from the seventeenth century. Portraits, genre paintings, interiors, landscapes, and still lifes illustrate certain artists' predilections for particular types of themes.

The museum houses two of Vermeer's most evocative pieces, Woman with a Pearl Necklace and The Glass of Wine.

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The Rijksmuseum, one of the most renowned museums in the world, was founded in The Hague in 1800 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808. It is dedicated to art, crafts, and history and possesses one of the most significant collection of Dutch Golden Age painings, including works by renowned artists such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, and Frans Hals. One of its most famous pictures is The Night Watch by Rembrandt.

In addition to its paintings, the Rijksmuseum boasts a diverse collection of other objects of both Dutch and Asian origin. It features collections of sculpture and applied arts, including silver, porcelain, furniture, and Dutch Delftware.

There's also a historical collection that provides a picture of Dutch history within a global context and features objects such as models of Dutch ships, historical artifacts, in and archaeological finds.on are works by Frans Hals, Jan Steen and just about every significant Dutch seventeenth-century painter. Vermeer is represented with four absolute masterpieces: The Milkmaid, The Little Street, The Love Letter and the Woman in Blue Reading a Letter.

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Despite its limited number of artworks, Het Mauritshuis ("The Maurice House") remains one of the most renowned art collections in Europe. Its approximately 800 paintings, primarily from the Dutch Golden Age, comprise first-rate works by seventeenth-century Dutch masters such as Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, and Frans Hals, as well as several works by the German painter Hans Holbein the Younger. Originally the residence of Count John Maurice of Nassau, the seventeenth-century building of the Mauritshuis is the property of the government of the Netherlands and is listed in the top one hundredDutch heritage sites.

The exterior of the Mauritshuis has been renovated several times since its completion in 1644. Recently, an ambitious expansion project was carried out to create a museum suitable for the 21st century, moving the entrance to the front courtyard, thereby restoring the building's stately appearance. The surface area of the entire museum was doubled, creating more space for art, exhibitions, education, and events.

The relatively small size of the gallery, along with the ambiance and exceptional quality of the pictures on display, make the Mauritshuis one of the most congenial places for getting to know Dutch seventeenth-century painting. The gallery houses two of Vermeer's masterpieces: Girl with a Pearl Earring, View of Delft, as well as an early work, Diana and her Companions.

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The National Gallery in London was established in 1824 and is prominently located in Trafalgar Square. It is dedicated to preserving and displaying European art from the 13th to the early 20th century. Vermeer’s A Young Lady Standing at a Virginal represents his refined approach to interior scenes and is part of the museum’s vast collection that spans over 2,300 paintings. The gallery is not only a hub for art enthusiasts but also serves as an educational resource, offering extensive research and conservation programs.

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Set in splendid grounds beside Hampstead Heath, the Kenwood House is an outstanding neoclassical house that holds one of the most important collections of paintings ever given to the nation. Works by Rembrandt, Turner, Reynolds, and Gainsborough all hang against a backdrop of sumptuous rooms. The house also contains paintings from the Suffolk Collection, with magnificent full-length portraits by William Larkin and Royal Stuart images by Van Dyck and Lely. The collection houses Vermeer's late and excellently conserved Guitar Player.

Visitors may wish to take time to enjoy the tranquility of Kenwood. As well as visiting the house, relax in the extensive lakeside gardens or explore the meandering pathways and woodland, featuring sculptures by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Pause to admire the wonderful views of London and enjoy the magnificent scenery, which is peppered with ancient oaks and is home to a variety of wildlife. Admission is free.

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Shaped by the personal tastes of kings and queens over more than 500 years, the Royal Collection includes paintings, drawings, and watercolors, furniture, ceramics, clocks, silver, sculpture, jewelry, books, manuscripts, prints and maps, arms and armor, fans, and textiles. It is held in trust by The Queen as Sovereign for her successors and the Nation, and is not owned by her as a private individual.

Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837. It evolved from a town house that was owned from the beginning of the eighteenth century by the Dukes of Buckingham. Today it is The Queen's official residence, with 775 rooms. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, areas of Buckingham Palace are opened to visitors on a regular basis.

The State Rooms of the Palace are open to visitors during the Annual Summer Opening in August and September. They are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection—paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto, and Claude; sculpture by Canova and Chantrey; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.

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Opened to the public in 1859, the National Gallery of Scotland is situated in the heart of Edinburgh and is home to Scotland's greatest collection of European paintings and sculpture from the Renaissance to Post-Impressionism, one of the very finest galleries of its size in the world. As well as housing the national collection of work by Scottish artists, the Gallery also has some 20,000 drawings, prints, and watercolors, with a Print Room open to the public by appointment. An active exhibitions program both from the permanent collections and major international loan exhibitions. The gallery is complemented by the recent completion of the Playfair Project which has provided a specialist exhibition venue in the Royal Scottish Academy Building and the new facilities center, the Weston Link Building.

The Museum houses an outstanding collection of paintings, drawings, and prints by the greatest artists from the Renaissance to Post-Impressionism, including Velázquez, El Greco, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Turner, Constable, Monet, and Van Gogh; shown alongside the national collection of Scottish art.

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The National Gallery of Ireland was established by an act of parliament in 1854 and opened to the public in 1864. It houses an impressive collection that spans European art history from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Among the artists represented are Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and Vermeer. It is also home to the National Portrait Collection, which spans over 500 years. The Gallery has an extensive, representative collection of Irish painting and is also notable for its Italian Baroque and Dutch masters painting. The collection includes Vermeer's magnificent Woman Writing a Letter with her Maid.

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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, founded in 1903, is located in Boston and is known for its eclectic collection housed in a Venetian-style palace. The museum was the creation of Isabella Stewart Gardner, a patron of the arts who meticulously designed the museum to reflect her personal aesthetic. The Concert by Vermeer was famously stolen in 1990, and its whereabouts remain unknown, making it one of the most notorious art thefts in history​

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Founded in 1870, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (commonly known as The Met) is one of the largest and most comprehensive art museums in the world. Located in New York City, The Met's collection includes over two million works of art spanning 5,000 years of world culture. The museum is renowned for its European paintings, with Vermeer’s works showcasing the evolution of his style and thematic focus over his career.

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The Frick Collection, founded in 1935 and located in the former mansion of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, is one of New York City's most treasured cultural gems. The museum features a distinguished collection of Old Master paintings, European sculpture, and decorative arts. The intimate setting allows for a unique viewing experience of Vermeer's works, emphasizing the detailed and personal nature of his genre scenes​.

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The Leiden Collection website features an online catalogue and provides an exhaustive overview of the Collection, scholarly entries of 175 paintings and drawings, artist biographies, as well as essays about major painters from Leiden featured in the Collection. It includes exceptional works by first-rate Dutch artists such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Gerrit Dou, and Frans van Mieris.

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The National Gallery of Art, established in 1937 and located in Washington, D.C., houses an extensive collection of European and American art. It was created for the people of the United States by a joint resolution of Congress, accepting the gift of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon. The gallery’s four excellant Vermeer paintings are part of a larger collection that highlights the depth and diversity of European art from the Renaissance to the modern age.​

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