The Allegory of Painting (1665-67) is one of Vermeer’s most intriguing works of art, and was known as his favorite piece. Not only his extraordinary light, color and detail, but also the unique perspective of the painting adds to its captivating qualities. Vermeer reverts back to his more traditional upper-middle class scenes, which contrast The Milkmaid. Vermeer portrays an artist in his studio painting a woman modeling as Clio, the muse of History. It appears that Vermeer wanted to portray not only an artist’s studio, but also more importantly the significance of painting. As the viewer, one feels as if they have intruded on an intimate scene. A tapestry is drawn back reveling the painter beginning his work as the model gazes innocently toward the artist. The painting is somewhat theatrical. The artist himself is dressed in costume attire from a previous era, while the model adorns a crown of laurel and a trumpet. There is also a mask on the table. As Clio, the muse of History, the model holds a trumpet and a book, symbolizing history. The crown of laurel she wears is a symbol of Fame. The map of Holland in association with the crown are believed to imply the painter will make the Netherlands famous with his work.
As the golden light floods in, it highlights the model’s face as well as the mask. The meaning of the mask is not certain, but there are several different opinions. One of which is that the mask represents the unseen artist’s face. However the more common opinion is that the mask is associated with a “death mask”, and symbolizes the ineffective Hapsburg monarch. The chandelier complements this theory of the death mask in that it contains the double-headed eagle of the Hapsburgs, but mysteriously has no candles. This may also be a symbol of the Hapsburg’s ineffective ruling. There are several details to the painting that question whether the scene is actually set in an artist’s studio. The simple fact that a chandelier and a tile floor are in an art studio is unlikely. The detail that there are no oil paints visible in the painting makes the possibility of the scene taking place in a studio doubtful.

The tile floor is a fascinating component of the work. Diagonal tiles are very difficult to paint even for the most talented of artists. It took Vermeer most of his career to perfect his technique. It can be seen in some of his earlier works, such as The Girl with the Wineglass, that the perspective of the tiles are off. To set up his horizon, vanishing point and distant points, Vermeer used a pin and string. “The distant points, positioned at an equal distance on either side of the vanishing point on the horizon, provided the basis for the diagonals” (Wheelock 69). However, the problem with the diagonal tiles arose when the horizon was high. But, Vermeer soon figured out that by moving the distance points farther away from the scene the problem would be fixed.
The history of The Allegory of Painting is fascinating in itself. After Vermeer’s death, the family was left in debt and was forced to sell off most of the estate, including many of Vermeer’s paintings. However, Vermeer’s wife refused to sell The Allegory, since it had been her husband’s favorite work. To avoid sale, Catherina Bolnes hid the painting on her mother’s estate, where it stayed undiscovered for over one hundred years. In 1813, it was found and thought to be one of de Hooch’s works. It was not until 1860 that a French scholar figured out it was a Vermeer and was put on display in Vienna. After the Nazi invasion of Austria, the painting was stolen from its owner and bought for Adolf Hitler’s personal collection. Finally, the painting was “rescued” from a salt mine in 1945 and, in 1946, returned to the Austrian government. The Allegory is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, in Vienna.