Malachite

An observant and deliberate painter, Vermeer produced only 36 known works in his lifetime, while many of his contemporaries completed hundreds. Like his peers, he mostly depicted scenes of ordinary life, later called “genre” painting, often of women at daily tasks. Notable examples include Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (c. 1657) and […]

A Gilded Funeral Wreath

Lavishly decorating the deceased with fragrant ointments, wine and wreaths dates as far back as 400 BC, serving as a gift of sorts to accompany the dead in the afterlife.   While botanical accoutrements like flowers and twigs wrapped in bronze and copper sheet metal were common to the working class, the richer folk were […]