While almost all known Vermeer paintings are located in public collections one painting made it to private sale after nearly a decade of research and testing. The painting titled, “Young Woman Seated at the Virginal” was purchased in 1960 from Marlborough Fine Art Ltd. in London. At the time of the sale most Vermeer experts doubted the paintings authenticity. Despite the status of the painting it was included in an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2001, along with other Vermeer and Delft School paintings. Many scholars noticed a likeness to Vermeer’s “A Lady Seated at a Virginal.” Curiosity led the painting to undergo several scientific tests including pigment analysis, where several elements were discovered that were not used after 1700. This meant that the painting could not have been a 19th or 20th century copy. X-ray and infrared testing also revealed the use of a pinhole method that is often found in works by Vermeer. Experts now believe that the painting is indeed an authentic Vermeer painting that was touched up and altered by conservators over the years.

Find out now if you have an authentic Johannes Vermeer painting or drawing: