Quoting the telegraph; After more than five years, British researchers have claimed that the secret of an anonymous face in the famous painting of “Girl with Pearl Earrings” by Johannes Vermier was finally revealed.
Andrew Graham-Dixon, an art historian and TV presenter, has come to a new study that the model of the painting was probably Madelneh Van Royfen, the daughter of one of Vermeer’s main supporters in the 17th century.
This work was created in the city of Delft in the 1980s, and since its emergence, its model identity has been one of the biggest riddles in the world of art. Graham-Dickson writes in his new book that Vermeer painted most of his work for a wealthy couple named Pitler Van Royfen and Maria de Convang, and Madelneh, the daughter of this family, is the same figure that later became known as “North Mona Lisa”.
According to the findings of this study, the family was a member of a religious sect named Ramonstant; A Christian group who adhered to beliefs such as peace, equality between men and women, and social justice. Maria de Konit, the main supporter of Vermier, is said to have supported a more radical branch called the Collanges.
Graham-Dickson said in an interview with the Sunday Times Calcher:
Research on Vermier’s life shows that he was born into a Remonstant family and also went to the Colorian meetings. Even his wife, Catholic, sympathized with the beliefs of this group.
She believes the painting of “girl with pearl earrings” is a symbol of religious belief and identity, and the turning of the girl’s face in the painting can be seen as a sign of her commitment to religious beliefs.
This new theory differs from the common views of Vermier, but Graham-Dixon emphasizes that its findings can make a new light on the works of this great Dutch painter.
The “girl with pearl earrings” is now held at the Mauritz House Museum in the Hague and attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world every year.
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