Most of these paintings have single figures in them but this one, A Woman writing a letter with her Maid has two. Notice again the window which provides the light source and angle. This painting, like all of Vermeer’s tells a story, this one, if you look carefully involves various things on the floor– a crumbled piece of paper, a broken wax seal, and a wax stick. The woman has received a letter she didn’t care for and is writing a response. Her maid looks bored or distracted, and presumably will be the courier of the response. Daily life of the well to do in the Netherlands. Vermeer lived in Delft, the home of various sorts of high culture and grand arts, such as Delft china.
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