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The Girl in the Spotlight: A technical re-examination of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring

Edited by Abbie Vandivere, Mauritshuis, Netherlands

Girl in the SpotlightIn 2018, Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665, Mauritshuis) underwent a technical examination within the research project "The Girl in the Spotlight". The painting was examined in front of the museum public with state-of-the-art non-invasive imaging techniques. Samples taken during the 1990s were re-analysed.

The goal was to document the current condition of the painting, and to find out more about the materials, techniques that Vermeer used to create this masterpiece. This special collection of articles in Heritage Science is devoted to the results of the technical examination.

The research project "The Girl in the Spotlight" is a Mauritshuis initiative and involves a team of internationally recognised specialists associated with the Netherlands Institute for Conservation+Art+Science+ (NICAS)+, and scientists from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA.

Image credit: Sylvain Fleur + the Girl and the Spotlight team

New articles will be added to the collection as they are published. Be sure to check this page regularly, or sign up for article alerts so you don't miss a single article from Heritage Science.


  3. Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) is known for his brilliant blue colours, and his frequent use of the costly natural ultramarine. This paper reveals new findings about ultramarine in the headscarf of Girl with a Pear...

    Authors: Annelies van Loon, Alessa A. Gambardella, Victor Gonzalez, Marine Cotte, Wout De Nolf, Katrien Keune, Emilien Leonhardt, Suzan de Groot, Art Ness Proaño Gaibor and Abbie Vandivere
    Citation: Heritage Science 2020 8:25
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  4. As part of the 2018 Girl in the Spotlight project, reflectance and molecular fluorescence imaging spectroscopy (RIS, FIS), and macroscale X-ray fluorescence scanning (MA-XRF) were performed on Johannes Vermeer’s

    Authors: John K. Delaney, Kathryn A. Dooley, Annelies van Loon and Abbie Vandivere
    Citation: Heritage Science 2020 8:4
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  5. The soft modelling of the skin tones in Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (Mauritshuis) has been remarked upon by art historians, and is their main argument to date this painting to c. 1665. This paper describe...

    Authors: Annelies van Loon, Abbie Vandivere, John K. Delaney, Kathryn A. Dooley, Steven De Meyer, Frederik Vanmeert, Victor Gonzalez, Koen Janssens, Emilien Leonhardt, Ralph Haswell, Suzan de Groot, Paolo D’Imporzano and Gareth R. Davies
    Citation: Heritage Science 2019 7:102
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  6. A seventeenth-century canvas painting is usually comprised of varnish and (translucent) paint layers on a substrate. A viewer’s perception of a work of art can be affected by changes in and damages to these la...

    Authors: Willemijn S. Elkhuizen, Tom W. J. Callewaert, Emilien Leonhardt, Abbie Vandivere, Yu Song, Sylvia C. Pont, Jo M. P. Geraedts and Joris Dik
    Citation: Heritage Science 2019 7:89
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  7. The background of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665, Mauritshuis) has, until recently, been interpreted as a flat dark space. The painting was examined in 2018 as part of the research project The Girl ...

    Authors: Abbie Vandivere, Annelies van Loon, Tom Callewaert, Ralph Haswell, Art Ness Proaño Gaibor, Henk van Keulen, Emilien Leonhardt and Joris Dik
    Citation: Heritage Science 2019 7:69
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  8. The use of non-invasive macroscopic imaging techniques is becoming more prevalent in the field of cultural heritage, especially to avoid invasive procedures that damage valuable artworks. For this purpose, an ...

    Authors: Steven De Meyer, Frederik Vanmeert, Rani Vertongen, Annelies van Loon, Victor Gonzalez, Geert van der Snickt, Abbie Vandivere and Koen Janssens
    Citation: Heritage Science 2019 7:67
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  9. The initial steps that Johannes Vermeer took to create Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665) are, partially or completely, hidden beneath the painted surface. Vermeer’s painting technique involved applying underlay...

    Authors: Abbie Vandivere, Annelies van Loon, Kathryn A. Dooley, Ralph Haswell, Robert G. Erdmann, Emilien Leonhardt and John K. Delaney
    Citation: Heritage Science 2019 7:64
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  10. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer (c. 1665) is the most beloved painting in the collection of the Mauritshuis in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Girl was last examined during a 1994 restoration treatm...

    Authors: Abbie Vandivere, Jørgen Wadum, Klaas Jan van den Berg and Annelies van Loon
    Citation: Heritage Science 2019 7:66
    Content type: Review Published on: