TheOldMastersPrintsGirl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer: meaning, location and key facts
Girl with a Pearl Earring is an oil on canvas by Johannes Vermeer, painted around 1665. It measures 44.5 × 39 cm and is held at the Mauritshuis, The Hague.
Key facts
| Artist | Johannes Vermeer |
|---|---|
| Date | c. 1665 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 44.5 × 39 cm (height × width) |
| Museum | Mauritshuis, The Hague |
| Style | Dutch Golden Age |
| Data source | Wikidata (Q185372) · Wikipedia |
What it shows
A girl turns her head towards us with her lips slightly parted. She wears a blue and yellow turban and an improbably large pearl that shines with two touches of light. It is not a commissioned portrait but a “tronie”, a study of expression and exotic costume much prized in 17th-century Holland.
The blue of the turban is natural ultramarine, made from lapis lazuli and more expensive than gold. The Mauritshuis technical study of 2018 found that the background, now black, was originally a green curtain that has darkened with time.
Did you know?
- Nobody knows who sat for it: theories about one of Vermeer’s daughters or a maid have no documentary support.
- The collector Arnoldus des Tombe bought it at an auction in The Hague in 1881 for a few guilders and bequeathed it to the Mauritshuis in 1902.
- Tracy Chevalier’s novel (1999) and the 2003 film with Scarlett Johansson are fiction, although they made the painting famous worldwide.
Where to see the original
Girl with a Pearl Earring is at the Mauritshuis, The Hague. Works are sometimes lent to exhibitions or taken down for restoration, so it is worth checking the museum’s website before you go.
Which print size to choose
The print keeps the proportions of the original: if they differ from the paper, the painting is centred with a white border and never cropped. More details in our size guide.
| A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) | shelves, desks and gallery walls |
|---|---|
| A3 (29.7 × 42 cm) | bedrooms, hallways and small walls |
| A2 (42 × 59.4 cm) | above a sideboard, chest of drawers or headboard |
| A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm) | above the sofa or as a living-room centrepiece |
Prints are made to order in the Czech Republic and reach the EU in 3 to 8 days, with no customs. Canvases are made in the USA and take about 2 to 3 weeks, with EU VAT included in the price.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Girl with a Pearl Earring?
- The original is held at the Mauritshuis, The Hague.
- How big is Girl with a Pearl Earring?
- The original painting measures 44.5 × 39 cm (height × width).
- Who painted Girl with a Pearl Earring and when?
- It was painted by Johannes Vermeer around 1665.
- Can I hang a reproduction of Girl with a Pearl Earring at home?
- Yes. The work is in the public domain, so it can be freely reproduced. We offer it as a matte print in A4, A3, A2, A1 (from €18.99) and as a ready-to-hang canvas (from €54.99), with free shipping to the EU.
Updated 21 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Message us through the shop and we will fix it.
