Mistress and Maid

Two women occupy a dim interior: a mistress in a yellow gown with fur trim and a pearl necklace sits at a table on the right, while a maid in a brown dress stands to the left, presenting a folded note. A blue-draped table holds a few writing implements and a sheet of paper, set against a dark backdrop that makes the lit figures stand out. The scene exemplifies Vermeer’s quiet Dutch Baroque genre style, with careful observation of texture—silk, fur, skin—and a restrained, warm palette of yellows, whites, and blues, illuminated by soft, directional light.