Reinterpreting Vermeer’s Lacemaker
Long thought to have been purchased by Pieter van Ruijven, Vermeer’s painting “The Lacemaker” was probably acquired by his wife, Maria de Knuijt, who had a much closer relationship with Vermeer. In an interview for Mister Motley and based on new archival documents, Judith Noorman demonstrates that this shifted perspective demands a new interpretation of the painting’s meaning. Read the complete essay here, in which Daan Borrel explores what happens when we (at least for a moment) let go of the male gaze.
Piet Bakker and Judith Noorman are preparing an essay on Maria de Knuijt for the proceedings of the Vermeer conference at the Rijksmuseum (2023), which will be published in April 2025.
