Which Dutch artist painted 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'?

The Dutch artist who painted Girl with a Pearl Earring was Johannes Vermeer.

Vermeer is regarded as a leading painter of the Dutch Golden Age, and the work is generally dated to about 1665. It shows a young figure turning toward the viewer, wearing an exotic-looking head covering and a large apparent pearl. Her identity is unknown, and the painting is not considered a conventional portrait.

Instead, it is a tronie, a Dutch term for a study of a head or character type. Vermeer used oil paint on canvas and focused on subtle light, color, and expression. The work’s dark background intensifies the girl’s illuminated face and the glint of the earring.

The painting belongs to the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, where it has been held since 1902. A 1994 restoration revealed details including eyelashes and a green curtain that had become difficult to see.

Jan van Eyck, Frans Hals, and Rembrandt were also important Dutch painters, but none painted this particular work. The girl’s name and the exact nature of the “pearl” remain uncertain.