The Astronomer

1653–1675

Patrons: van Ruijven and van Buyten

Pieter van Ruijven and his wife Maria de Knuijt were Vermeer's patrons for the better part of his career: van Ruijven bought much of his output, which kept Vermeer afloat financially but reduced the chances of his fame spreading beyond Delft. The baker Hendrick van Buyten held a couple of his paintings as collateral.

1653–1675 · Workplace

Delft

1672

The “Year of Disaster”: war and the collapse of the market

In 1672 the Rampjaar, a severe economic downturn, struck the Dutch Republic after French troops under Louis XIV invaded from the south and troops from Münster and Cologne from the east. Vermeer's sale of a painting that year was his last, and five years passed before circumstances improved.

1672

To The Hague: appraising a collection for the Elector

In 1672 Vermeer, a recognised connoisseur, travelled to The Hague, where together with the painter Jacob Jordaens he appraised Venetian and Roman paintings offered to the Elector of Brandenburg for 30,000 guilders. Before a notary he denied the collection's authenticity and declared it worth no more than a tenth of the asking price.

December 1675

A sudden death in December 1675

Vermeer's widow wrote to the creditors that during the war he had been forced to sell paintings at a reduced price; falling into despondency, in December 1675 he lost consciousness and died a day and a half later. What exactly happened remains unclear.

1675

Died