Johannes (or Jan) Vermeer was born in Delft in 1632 into a merchant family. His training as a painter probably began in the 1640's. In April 1653 he married Catharina Bolnes, who was Catholic. She was born into a rich family of brick merchants. However, Vermeer, who was a Calvinist, had to change his beliefs to Catholicism before the wedding in order to obtain his mother-in-law's blessing. In addition to his work as a painter, Vermeer continued to run his father's painting business. He gained a good reputation and in 1662 he was elected syndic of the Delft Guild of St. Luke, i.e. leader of the local artists' guild. The painter's patrons were important people in the region, but it is not certain that his fame extended beyond the provincial structure during his lifetime.

The economic and political climate in the United Provinces was deteriorating in 1672. The Republic was targeted by both the French army of Louis XIV (Dutch War) and the English fleet. To defend Amsterdam from attack, the area under the sea was submerged. This led to a severe economic crisis which had an impact on the art market. Maria Thins, Vermeer's mother-in-law, lost most of her income. The artist no longer received commissions, and his business as a dealer in paintings also fell. He had to borrow 1,000 florins to feed his large family. Indebted, broken and despondent, the great artist fell ill, as his wife would later tell us. He died in Delft in December 1675. To pay the sum of 1000 florins, Catharina Bolnes was forced to sell everything: furniture, paintings and even her house.

During his lifetime, his fame did not extend beyond his home town. A baroque painter, he left behind 37 renowned paintings and fell into oblivion until his works were rediscovered in the second half of the 19th century by the Frenchman Théophile Thoré-Bürger, who included some of his paintings in an exhibition. The Milkmaid, The Astronomer and Girl with a pearl earing are some of his most famous works.