By Kiara de Castro Ruiz

A WOMAN ASLEEP

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

A corner of a wall map

• This area represents a corner of a wall map

• MAP: popular and cheap decorative

• More clearly depicted in this picture : the map's hanging rod

The chair

•The chair: an indicator of social rank •Two different types of chair:

The foreground chair The chair on which the

young woman is seated

The vista opening into another room

Doorkijkje: very popular in Ducth interior paintings

The painting on the wallThis figure has beenassociated with twocontemporary images: 1. an emblem in Otto van

Veen's popular Amorum Emblemata (Antwerp, 1608)

2. a standing putto or Cupid holding up a card, in the style of Cesar van Everdingen

The girl's face

•Maid or mistress?

•Drunk, depressed or asleep?

Oriental carpet

•Carpets from Turkey and Iran

•Became very popular in the 16-17th century

•In nine of Vermeer's paintings

View of an Interior, or The SlippersSamuel van HoogstratenLouvre, Paris

AcediaHieronymus Wierix Rijksprentenkabinet, Amsterdam

The Idle ServantNicolaes MaesNational Gallery, London

Related Works

The Listening Housewife Nicolas MaesWallace Collection, London

MelancholiaAlbrecht Dürerengraving