Girl with pearl earring

History and fiction blend seamlessly in this brilliant novel about artistic sensitivity and the awakening of sensuality through the eyes of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer's most famous paintings, considered by many art experts to be the painter's masterpiece. In 17th-century Delft, a strict social order reigns, separating rich and poor, Catholics and Protestants, masters and servants. When 16-year-old Griet goes to work as a servant in the house of the city's most important painter, she is expected to know her place. But in Vermeer's household, dominated by his volatile wife and domineering shadow, the young woman soon catches the eye of his master. Captivated by her quiet demeanor, intuition, and fascination with art, Vermeer slowly draws her into his world—a calm place of exotic color and dazzling light, shifting shadows, and unimaginable beauty.