Johannes Vermeer's intensely quiet and enigmatic paintings invite the viewer into a private world, often prompting more questions than answers. Who is being portrayed? Are his subjects real or imagined? And how did he create such an unrivaled sense of intimacy?Bringing together diverse strands of the Dutch master's professional and private worlds, this is the first major authoritative study of Vermeer's life and work for many years shedding light on all thirty-seven of his paintings.Vermeer With contributions byBart Cornelis, National Gallery, LondonBente Frissen, Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamSabine Pénot, Kunsthistorisches Museum, ViennaPieter Roelofs, Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamFriederike Schuett, Staedel Museum, Frankfurt am MainChristian Tico Seifert, National Galleries of Scotland, EdinburghAriane van Suchtelen, Mauritshuis, The HagueGregor J.M. Weber, Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamMarjorie E. Wieseman, National Gallery of Art, Washington