The Milkmaid

The Milkmaid

Johannes Vermeer

Details

Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
height 45.5 cm x width 41 cm
Holding institution
Rijksmuseum
Image provider
rijksmuseum
License
Public Domain
Credit
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Art Genome Taxonomy

10 tags

Subject Matter

  • Interiors Visual · 99%

    The image shows an enclosed room with a leaded window, wall, table, hanging objects, and a tiled lower area.

  • The title identifies a milkmaid, and the image presents an ordinary household activity rather than a historical or ceremonial event.

  • The figure performs a domestic task among a table, vessels, bread, textiles, and other household furnishings.

  • Work and Workers Both · 96%

    The woman is visibly engaged in labor, pouring from a pitcher while preparing food or drink; the title identifies her as a milkmaid.

  • Food Visual · 98%

    Bread and other food items are clearly visible across the foreground table, alongside the bowl receiving the liquid.

  • Human Figure Visual · 99%

    A single standing woman occupies the central portion of the composition.

Medium and Techniques

  • Painting Metadata · 100%

    The museum metadata classifies the work as a painting.

  • Oil Painting Metadata · 100%

    The museum metadata specifies oil on canvas.

  • Chiaroscuro Visual · 84%

    Strong illumination from the left contrasts with substantially darker areas around the window, table, and lower foreground, producing pronounced light-dark modeling.

Time Periods

  • 17th Century Art Metadata · 99%

    The work is dated c. 1660, placing it in the seventeenth century.

Source & rights

Johannes Vermeer. The Milkmaid. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.