Although American scientists previously argued that the painting Girl with the flute was not made by Johannes Vermeer, the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands believes the Dutch painter is indeed the maker. The conclusion was shared by Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits and head of painting and sculpture Pieter Roelofs after research.
Researchers at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where the painting hung for a long time, examined the work during the corona pandemic. There had long been doubts that the work was by Vermeer because it did not look right.
They concluded that it was most likely made by an apprentice of Vermeer. The use of pigments and brushes would differ from Vermeer's techniques.
Dibbits and Roelofs, researchers from the Rijksmuseum, the Mauritshuis, and the University of Antwerp conducted a broader investigation. This involved many comparisons with other works by Vermeer. "We can now complete the picture by pointing to other paintings," the Rijksmuseum stated.
"We believe that what we say is correct; our reasoning is crystal clear and based on advancing insight. So Girl with the Flute is being lent as 'not a Vermeer,' but we will display it as a real Vermeer." The same goes for the paintings Saint Praxedis and Seated Woman at the Virginal.
Some 35 paintings worldwide are attributed to Vermeer. Girl with the Flute was "rediscovered" in 1906 and donated to the National Gallery of Art in 1942.