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Hidden items found in Vermeer’s famed ‘Milkmaid’ painting
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Underneath the painting: Pictured is The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer during a press conference on new discoveries made on one of Vermeer’s most-famous paintings at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. (AFP/Kenzo Tribouillard)
A hidden jug holder and basket are found in Dutch master Johannes Vermeer's famous painting The Milkmaid.
Experts from Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum said on Thursday they have found a hidden jug holder and basket in Dutch master Johannes Vermeer's famous painting The Milkmaid which he later painted over.
The "startling" discoveries in the 17th century masterpiece shed new light on the technique of the enigmatic artist, ahead of the largest-ever exhibition of Vermeer's work starting at the museum in 2023.
Advanced scanning technology revealed that beneath the plain white wall that makes the milkmaid's bright yellow-and-blue clothes stand out, Vermeer had originally painted extra details before changing his mind.
The resulting simplicity paved the way for later masterpieces like his iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring, which will also form part of next year's landmark Vermeer show, researchers said.
"This reveals a new unexpected Vermeer, it's astonishing," Gregor Weber, head of fine arts and at the Rijksmuseum, told a news conference.
Vermeer's changes mean that the figure of the maid, seen in the painting pouring a stream of milk from an earthenware jug, "stands in front of us in a much more monumental way”, he said.
