“A girl reading a letter from an open window,” Jan Vermeer – a description of the picture 
- Posted by Jan Vermeer
- Museum: Dresden Gallery
- Year: 1657
Description of the picture :
The girl reading the letter at the opened window is Jan Vermeer Delft. Oil on canvas. 83×64.5
The motive of writing is often found in Vermeer’s paintings (1632-1675) and is always embodied in the image of a heroine reading a message from a lover who is far from her.
It is noteworthy that on the presented canvas the artist planned to depict the amura with the letter. This is evidenced by studies of x-ray rays that have shown a pattern of amur. Thus, the symbolic meaning of the whole scene is beyond doubt. Researcher Norbert Schneider even saw in still life and crumpled tablecloths on the table symbols of a broken vow of marital fidelity and extramarital relations. Apples and peaches are an allusion to the biblical history of the fall.