Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0805069305, Paperback)

In 1653, the artist Johannes Vermeer, the twenty-one-year-old son of an innkeeper, registered as a master painter with the city's Guild. He went on to enjoy a respectable local reputation as a painter until his death in 1675; it was not until the mid-nineteenth century, however, that his genius was widely appreciated. Today, Vermeer's thirty-five paintings are regarded as masterpieces.

In Vermeer, Anthony Bailey presents an intriguing portrait of Vermeer's life and character, long lost in history. Bailey re-creates the atmosphere of the times, introduces Vermeer's colleagues, portrays his domestic life in vibrant detail; he also sheds light on the science and artistry behind the glorious, almost mystical, paintings. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, Vermeer will stand as the classic work on Vermeer for years to come.