Now on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art until the end of 2023, “The Guitar Player (Lady with a Guitar)” (c. 1670-1720), has generated some excitement around its ambiguous connection to the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer since it was unearthed from storage after nearly a century. The mysterious oil painting eluded experts for decades, as the work was believed to be an anonymous copy of Vermeer’s work. “The guitarist” (circa 1672), now at Kenwood House in London. However, the Dutch researcher Arie Wallert claimed To Rijksmuseum Colloquium that the PMA painting could in fact be an original work by Vermeer, prompting the museum to continue its analyzes with the help of other Vermeer experts.
The Philadelphia institution acquired “The Guitar Player (Lady with a Guitar)” from the John G. Johnson Collection in 1933 and has never exhibited it until now. It was thought to be an original Vermeer until the almost identical London-based version appeared in remarkably pristine condition and its subject was depicted with a different hairstyle. Experts then claimed that the London painting was Vermeer’s original work and that the Philadelphia painting, which had been damaged, was either an anonymous copy or a duplicate painted by Vermeer himself. Prior to its acquisition, the Philadelphia painting had unfortunately undergone “aggressive cleaning attempts” that removed the top layers of painted detail work, according to the museum, and a new restoration attempt in 1973 revealed a large tear in the lower corner. painting right.
The museum did not immediately respond to Hyperallergicrequest for comment.
Material analysis of the painting by Wallert in 2016 led him to initially dismiss the work as a copy because there was evidence of Prussian blue, a pigment that was invented long after Vermeer’s death in 1675. However, Wallert revisited the painting in 2021 ahead of the Rijksmuseum blockbuster. Vermeer Exhibition and further analysis revealed evidence of lead-tin yellow, a pigment that fell out of use in 1700. Wallert also identified green earth pigments that matched Vermeer’s portrait palette and found that the blue of Prussia was more likely to have been pigmented indigo instead, aligning with the painter’s palette later in his career, as the Philadelphia plaintiff noted. Wallert did not comment on the different hairstyle shown about the Philadelphia painting compared to the London one.
These recent claims by Wallert prompted the museum to present the painting in its unrestored form for the first time before it was taken back to the museum’s laboratory for further research to confirm its attribution. “Our conversation at the museum is now focused on the future of painting, embracing collaborative research, seeking more knowledge and inviting the public to be part of the process,” museum director Sasha Suda said in a statement.
Vermeer’s possible original is now on display in the European Art 1500-1800 section of Gallery 364 on the museum’s third floor.
