A Lady Writing a Letter

Vermeer's A Lady Writing a Letter shows a young woman seated at a desk, leaning forward as she writes with a quill on a sheet of paper. She wears a yellow gown with a white fur-trimmed wrap and ribbons in her hair, and the scene is lit from the left, with the light softly modeling her face and the textures of fabric against a dark, subdued interior. The composition uses a diagonal gesture of her arm and a rich but restrained color palette, showcasing Vermeer’s precise brushwork and his focus on intimate, domestic moments and the effects of light.