Woman with a Lute

Vermeer’s Woman with a Lute shows a woman seated at a table, gently plucking a lute while turning slightly toward a window-lit left. She wears a pale yellow gown with a white collar, and the scene uses a restrained palette of warm yellows, creams, and dark browns, with the lute and papers on the table catching the light. A large map hangs on the wall behind her and the overall composition achieves a quiet, domestic atmosphere with careful, naturalistic handling of light and texture characteristic of Dutch Baroque painting.