Vermeer’s Pearl Earring: 2 Guilders in 1902, Not Certainly a Pearl, Unidentified for 360 Years

29. Mai 2026

Girl with a Pearl Earring Vermeer guide DeckArts Berlin 2 guilders

Last updated: May 2026 · By Stanislav Arnautov · Berlin

Quick answer

Girl with a Pearl Earring (c.1665): bought for 2 guilders 30 cents in 1902. The earring may not be a pearl (2018 Mauritshuis analysis). The subject has never been identified in 360 years. A tronie, not a portrait. Current estimate: €200–400M. DeckArts from ~$140.

Girl with a Pearl Earring (c.1665) by Johannes Vermeer: the most biographically inexhaustible 44.5 × 39 cm painting in Western art. At the Mauritshuis The Hague. DeckArts from ~$140. See: Vermeer: Complete Biography.

Twelve Specific Facts

1. Size: 44.5 × 39 cm. Oil on canvas. One of the smallest major paintings in any public collection. 2. A tronie (anonymous character study), not a commissioned portrait. Tronies were made speculatively for private enjoyment; subjects were never named. 3. The turban is exotic Oriental costume, not Dutch dress. 4. The pose: bilateral ambiguity — turning toward you (arriving) and body turned away (departing). 5. The earring: 2018 Mauritshuis multidisciplinary analysis (RTI, µXRF, multi-band imaging) concluded the earring does not have the nacre composition of a natural pearl — probably glass or tin paste, a fashionable imitation pearl. 6. Purchased in 1902 for 2 guilders 30 cents at a public auction in The Hague. 7. Background: near-absolute black. No spatial context. The figure emerges directly from the dark. 8. The parted lips and the interrupted-conversation quality. 9. Light from upper left (north-facing Delft studio window). 10. Subject never identified after 360 years. Proposed: Maria Vermeer (daughter), Magdalena van Ruijven (patron’s daughter). All speculative. 11. Only 34 paintings attributed to Vermeer with scholarly consensus. 12. Current estimated value: €200–400 million.

The Earring That May Not Be a Pearl

The 2018 Operation Earring study found the earring’s surface does not reflect light in the characteristic way of nacre (aragonite crystal layers in a natural pearl). The composition is consistent with glass or tin paste — a common and fashionable imitation pearl in the Dutch Golden Age. The painting was called “Head of a Young Girl” and “Girl in a Turban” before its current title was assigned in the 20th century. See: Mauritshuis — Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Vermeer’s Life: 34 Paintings, Forgotten for 200 Years

Born 31 October 1632, Delft. Died 15 December 1675, Delft, aged 43. 34 known paintings. Died in debt; work largely forgotten. Rediscovered by French critic Théophile Thoré (William Bürger) in 1866 — nearly 200 years posthumous invisibility. The 1672 French invasion of the Netherlands (the Rampjaar) collapsed the Dutch art market and, according to Catharina Vermeer, broke him financially and physically. See: Vermeer: Complete Biography.

For Home Decor

Near-absolute black background: the most versatile classical art object for domestic display. Advances from any wall colour. On warm white: quietest classical primary; warm cream and near-black as a single quiet event. On navy: near-black partially merges; only the warm face and earring advance. Above the bed (bilateral threshold above bilateral sleeping position); hallway end wall (bilateral threshold at domestic threshold); above the desk at 125–145 cm seated eye level. View Pearl Earring →

Position	Wall	Format	Price
Hallway end wall	Warm white or navy feature	Single	~$140
Bedroom above bed	Warm white	Single	~$140
Living room primary	Warm white	Diptych	~$230
Home office facing desk	Warm white or pale grey	Single	~$140

Three Pearl Earring Programmes

1. Bilateral Threshold Hallway (~$140): Warm white end wall + Pearl Earring single (~$140) at 155–165 cm + 2700K sconce. See: Wall Art for a Hallway 2026.

2. Quiet Biographical Bedroom (~$140): Warm white + Pearl Earring single (~$140) at 165–175 cm above bed + 2700K bedside lamp. 360 years of unresolved biography above the sleeping position. See: Best Wall Art for a Bedroom 2026.

3. Minimalist Two-Room Programme (~$280): Pearl Earring single (~$140) hallway end wall + Almond Blossom single (~$140) bedroom above bed. Threshold guard + botanical spring above sleep. See: Best Art for a Minimalist Home 2026.

FAQ

Was the Pearl Earring bought for 2 guilders?

Yes. The painting was sold at a public auction in The Hague in 1902 for 2 guilders 30 cents. The Mauritshuis acquired it from the buyer’s estate the same year. Current estimated value: €200–400 million. The 2018 Mauritshuis analysis concluded the earring may not be a natural pearl. Subject never identified after 360 years. DeckArts Pearl Earring single from ~$140. Mauritshuis The Hague.