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Famous Dutch painter Johanness Vermeer was born in 1632 in Delft, in the suburbs of Hague. While Vermeer was never noticed in his lifetime, his name attracted the attention of the world when several experts discovered his works in the 19th century. Since only 36 pieces of Vermeer’s original works remain, they are considered extremely valuable. Vermeer’s paintings are characterized by serene and realistic description, detailed space configuration and masterly presentation of light. The bright blue paint used by Vermeer was made from minerals that were extremely valuable at the time, and its price was said to be 100 times as high as ordinary blue paint. Mauritshuis Museum The “Vermeer blue” is the key to the paintings that made him known throughout the world. With the arrival of the 20th century, many fake Vermeer paintings were discovered and shocked the world. Among these, the forgeries of Han van Meegeren are particularly famous. When the forged painting of “Christ at Emmaus” was seized, police investigated the route by which it was sold and arrested Meegeren. He confessed that he had forged this and many other fake paintings, but the confession was not accepted in his early trials, and he actually painted a picture during his trial to prove it. “Christ at Emmaus” is still exhibited at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. At present, there are seven works of Vermeer in the Netherlands. Of these, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “View of Delft” are exhibited at the Mauritshuis Museum. Also known as “Girl with a Blue Turban”, it was so heavily damaged that it was not originally recognized as a one of Vermeer’s works, and sold at a low price during an auction in 1882. The angelic expression of this girl fascinates all who see the painting, and it was even the feature of a popular film, in which its model was supposedly a maid who worked in Vermeer’s house. In reality, however, the actual model is still a mystery. Vermeer’s most famous piece is a picture of his hometown of Delft seen from the southwestern side. Although this was a busy area where many boats and people came and went, Vermeer managed to depict it in a calm and peaceful atmosphere, and its elaborated composition gives great visual effects. “View of Delft” is one of the only two Vermeer landscapes remaining in existence today, and was sold at the highest price for a work of Vermeer at an auction in 1682.