Vermeer's First Masterpiece: The Milkmaid

Who was Vermeer? And why is his painting of a humble kitchen maid considered one of the greatest achievements of the Dutch Golden Age? Is The Milkmaid laden with hidden religious and erotic meanings, or simply a perfectly realised depiction of everyday life? Join Alastair and James as they unravel the many mysteries of Vermeer's first masterpiece.

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Artworks in this episode:

Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid, 1657-58, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Gerard ter Borch, The Letter, 1660-65, The Royal Collection, London

Jan Steen, The Feast of St. Nicholas, 1663-65, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Carel Fabritius, A View of Delft, with a Musical Instrument Seller's Stall, 1652, The National Gallery, London

Johannes Vermeer, Saint Praxedis, c.1655, National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo

Johannes Vermeer, The Procuress, 1656, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden

Johannes Vermeer, Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, c. 1657-59, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden

Domenico Fiasella, Queen Artemisia, c. 1645, Private Collection

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