The Milkmaid

The Milkmaid (1660) by Johannes Vermeer. Its palette is led by blue black (#13191f, 26%) and dark taupe (#4a3c2a, 26%), with accents of amber brown, blue and pale gold. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color note

Vermeer used natural ultramarine, ground from lapis lazuli and one of the most expensive pigments of his day, far more freely than his contemporaries, even in shadows and underlayers. Cool ultramarine against warm lead-tin yellow is his signature pairing.

Palette

#13191f MG 221 blue black 26.4% of canvas
#4a3c2a MG 177 dark taupe 25.6% of canvas
#d6d0be MG 202 pale muted golden cream 23.0% of canvas
#b4a993 MG 172 oatmeal 11.6% of canvas
#7e705e MG 166 amber brown 11.2% of canvas
#31577c MG 106 blue 1.3% of canvas
#d7c17b MG 036 pale gold 1.0% of canvas

Color families

Brown 56%, Black 20%, White 12%, Blue 6%, Yellow 2%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.51
Contrast: 0.68
Vividness: 0.031
Warmth: +0.81
Complexity: 121 cells
Hue range: 0.48
Focus: 0.08

Composition

66% of the visual weight is in the right half, 65% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.00 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 49% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 20% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1660
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 45.5 × 41.0 cm
Genre: genre art
Made in: Netherlands
Collection: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

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