Acquired by the Elector of Saxony in 1742, Johannes Vermeer’s Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window has since become one of the most revered paintings held in the Dresden State Art Collections. As a result of conservation work begun in 2017, however, researchers determined that extensive overpainting after Vermeer’s death has for centuries obscured a significant portion of the artist’s intended composition – a depiction of Cupid hanging on the wall behind the girl. Conservation has since brought the work closer to its original state; it goes on display here along with nine other works by Vermeer, and a further 50 by contemporaries such as Pieter de Hooch and Gerrit Dou. The exhibition runs from 10 September–2 January 2022; find out more from the SKD’s website.
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The many faces of Mary Magdalene