Public analysis of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' kicks off in Mauritshuis

A full scan and analysis of Johannes Vermeer's most famous work Girl with a Pearl Earring started in full public view in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague on Monday. Until March 11th museum visitors can watch a team of internationally recognized scientists study this painting in an effort to find out more about the method and materials Vermeer used for this famous work.

This research project is a Mauritshuis initiative and is being done with a team of scientists from partner institutions like the Rijksmuseum, TU Delft, the University of Antwerp. The study is being done in a 'glass box' in the Gouden Zaal of the Mauritshuis.

Vermeer painted 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' and 1665. The Mauritshuis purchased the painting in 1902. This work is by far the most popular of Vermeer's art among the public. In 2006, the Dutch public chose named it as the most beautiful painting in the Netherlands