Mistress and Maid

Mistress and Maid (Dutch: Dame en dienstbode) is an oil-on-canvas painting produced by Johannes Vermeer c. 1667.

A major stepping point in Vermeer's career was in 1653 when he joined the Guild of Saint Luke as a master and professional painter.

Vermeer is thought to have made use of a camera obscura, which may have influenced the way he often painted highlights as unfocused circles of confusion.

There is a strong use of yellow in the woman's elegant fur-lined overcoat, and blue in the silk tablecloth and the maid's apron.

The mistress has a pensive gaze, with her lips parted slightly and her fingertips lifted to her chin in a questioning manner.