Girl with a Pearl Earring
1999
The novel imagines the story behind Johannes Vermeer's famous painting, following a young servant girl who becomes the artist's model in 17th-century Delft. Chevalier creates a fictional narrative exploring the relationship between the painter and the girl who posed for one of art history's most enigmatic portraits.
Artists' modelsArtists' models in fictionSocial life and customsOpen Library Staff PicksFictionVermeer, Johannes, in fictionWomen household employees in fictionWomen domestics in fiction