Young woman reading a letter by an open window Oil on canvas - 83 x 64.5 c Condition of the painting undergoing restoration (2020-2021), with the Cupid largely reappearing Dresden, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Germany, launched a major restoration two years ago to reveal a Cupid that was hidden beneath layers of paint in Johannes Vermeer’s Girl Reading A Letter at an Open Window (ca. 1657 Since then, the museum has removed the famous overpainting. The wall now displays a picture of Cupid behind the young woman.
Scholars believe the new picture may be an indication that the woman is reading a letter. The public will now have the opportunity to verify this theory. The museum's painting gallery, Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister, will host the restored canvas for the first time in September.
Uta Neidhardt is the senior conservator and curator for the exhibition. She stated in a statement, that the newly revealed image gives an "occasion to reconsider" the meaning of the painting.
The painting was completed in 1657 and was purchased for Dresden's city collections in 1742. It has been the centerpiece of the painting gallery since then. The painting was misattributed for years. It was first misattributed to Rembrandt and then to Pieter de Hooch. After Theophile Thore Burger, a French art critic saw it in the gallery, it was labeled a Vermeer.
An X-ray examination of the painting revealed the existence of the hidden Cupid in 1979. The young woman was left behind a white wall by Vermeer, which led to the suspicion that Vermeer had covered up the Cupid image. Christoph Scholzel (Statliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden) began an extensive inspection of the canvas in 2017. This revealed that the overpainting was done sometime after Vermeer's passing.
Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, 1657–1659, Johannes Vermeer. Gemäldegalerie, Dresden, Germany (before and undergoing restoration)
Stephan Koja, the director of Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister said that only after the recovery of Cupid in the background, it becomes obvious what the real intention of the Delft artist was. It is more than a superficially amorous statement. It is fundamentally about true love.
Girl Reading A Letter at an Open Window was previously displayed in a semi-restored state in 2019, in the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister. Researchers were still removing layers of varnish that had darkened over the years, giving the Cupid a yellowish tint to the cool colors. Scholzel used a microscope to carefully remove the layers of paint. This helped to preserve the original paint.
This fall, the main attraction will be the fully restored painting. The painting will be joined by nine other Vermeer paintings, including the Woman In Blue Reading A Letter (1663-64), which was loaned from Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum and the Lady Standing At a Virginal (1670-72). These paintings make up about 25% of all known Vermeer canvases. There will be 50 Dutch paintings from the second half 17th century, including pieces of Pieter de Hooch and Frans van Mieris.
Exhibiton at Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister from 10/09/2021—02/01/2022
Jean Dubreil