The painting is Vermeer’s ‘ Girl with Pearl Earrings’ c 1665, the Dutch golden age period.

It depicts an imaginary young woman in exotic dress and large pearl earring. The painting is located at the Mauritshuis in The Hague.. It’s not really a portrait but a tronie, a character or type of person, a generic young woman. Imagery techniques show that the headscarf was painted using lapis lazuli ( blue) , a very costly mineral, mined in what is now Afganistan. The red for the lips was derived from an insect living in Mexico and South America.

I like this painting by Vermeer. The blue and yellow against the dark background, the glistening pearl and the light and shade of the skin as well as the girl’s gaze makes this a rather special painting.

I’ve been trying to improve my portrait drawing skills and my attempt is shown above.