The Love Letter (1666) by Johannes Vermeer

The great Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer painted The Love Letter in 1666. It shows a lady with a cittern (lute) being handed a letter by a servant. The tied-up curtain in the foreground suggests that we are looking at an intensely private scene in which domestic chores are for the moment set aside. The black-and-white floor tiles give the painting the impression of depth.