The painting's history. After Vermeer's death, the painting belonged to his widow, who gave it
to her mother as the guarantee of a debt contracted six months earlier.
Both died soon after Jan Vermeer.
In 1696, THE ARTIST IN HIS STUDIO was sold at auction at Amsterdam's greatest merchant of the
period. On that morning, 134 Dutch paintings were sold, including the 21 Vermeers. THE ARTIST IN
HIS STUDIO bore number 3. It was sold for 45 florins. THE MAIDSERVANT POURING MILK sold for
175 florins. The painting had not been understood.
In the 18th century, it was part of Baron Fr. Witten's collections; he was the Austrian ambassador in
Brussels, then in Paris and Berlin. This ambassador was peculiar in that he never left his paintings behind.
The work followed him. In 1813, it was sold by his descendants to Count Czernine in Vienna for 50
Austrian guilders.
Keeping a painting like this at home was dangerous. Czernine's descendants deposited it in Vienna's
Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Adolf Hitler eyed the museum greedily.
In 1942, the painting disappeared. It was thought that it was part of Goebbels' private collections.
Fortunately, it was returned to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in 1946, where we can admire it today. A
leading painting of Western art, it is curious to note that it has never been vandalized, stolen or taken for
ransom.
Does Vermeer's peace guarantee the painting's?