Summary
Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring is a captivating historical novel that imagines the story behind Johannes Vermeer's famous painting of the same name. Published in 1999, the book became an international bestseller, selling over two million copies worldwide. Set in 17th-century Delft, Netherlands, it explores themes of art, class, and forbidden attraction through the eyes of a young Protestant maid working in Vermeer's Catholic household. The novel's popularity led to a critically acclaimed film adaptation in 2003 starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth, which brought Chevalier's vision to an even wider audience.
Plot
Set in 17th century Delft, Holland, Girl with a Pearl Earring follows the story of Griet, a 16-year-old Protestant girl who becomes a maid in the Catholic household of renowned painter Johannes Vermeer. As Griet navigates the strict social order and religious divisions of the time, she finds herself drawn into Vermeer's world of art. Her quick perceptions and fascination with his paintings lead to a growing intimacy between them, sparking gossip and tension within the household.
Vermeer discovers Griet's eye for art and secretly enlists her help in his studio, having her run errands and assist with tasks like mixing colors. When Vermeer's wealthy patron, Pieter van Ruijven, takes an unsavory interest in Griet, the artist is pressured to paint them together. Instead, Vermeer decides to paint Griet alone, culminating in the creation of the famous pearl earring portrait. For the painting, Griet is forced to pierce her ears and wear Vermeer's wife's pearl earrings without permission.
The resulting scandal, fueled by the jealousy of Vermeer's wife Catharina and their daughter Cornelia, leads to Griet's dismissal from the household. She marries Pieter, the butcher's son who had been courting her, and settles into life as a mother and butcher's wife. Years later, after Vermeer's death, Griet is called back to the house and learns that the artist had requested her portrait be hung in his room as he was dying. She is also bequeathed the pearl earrings, which she ultimately decides to pawn to pay off her husband's debt to the Vermeer household.
Themes
• Social class divisions and restrictions
• Art and the creative process
• Female agency and independence
• Forbidden attraction and restrained passion
• Religious tensions in 17th century Holland• Coming of age and loss of innocence• Power dynamics between artist and model
