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The Wine Glass

Johannes Vermeer, 17th century

The Wine Glass by Johannes Vermeer is in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. This 17th-century interior shows a man and a woman in a quiet, sunlit room, with the woman drinking from a glass of wine while her companion waits beside her.

Where to see it

The Wine Glass belongs to the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, and that is where it is located. Paintings can be moved within a museum, sent on loan or taken off view for conservation, so check the Gemäldegalerie Berlin's official website for current display status, opening hours and ticket information before you visit. The canvas is wider than it is tall, measuring 67.7 cm high by 79.6 cm wide, so expect a modest, intimate picture best appreciated from close up.

What to look for in person

The open stained-glass window

Start at the left edge. A leaded window stands partly open, and its panes include a coloured stained-glass design with a coat of arms and a female figure. This window is the source of the soft daylight that falls across the room, a feature found in many of Vermeer's interiors. Notice how the light touches the woman's face and dress, the tablecloth and the floor, while the far corners stay in gentle shadow. Look closely at the glass itself to see how the painter suggests both transparency and reflection with very few strokes.

The woman, the man and the glass

At the centre, a seated woman in a red dress raises a glass to her face, and the glass partly hides her features. A man in a dark cloak and hat stands beside her, his hand resting on a white jug, as if ready to pour again. The two figures barely touch, yet the scene holds a sense of quiet tension and waiting. Pay attention to how the man's dark shape contrasts with the bright red of the dress, and how both figures are framed by the table and window.

Details of the room

Take time with the objects around the couple. On the table, covered with a heavy cloth, lie papers that appear to be sheet music, and a stringed instrument rests on a chair nearby, pointing to music as part of the gathering. On the back wall hangs a framed landscape painting. The floor is laid with a pattern of tiles that leads the eye into depth and helps build the clear, measured space of the room. These carefully placed details are typical of Dutch domestic scenes of the period.

About the painting

The Wine Glass is an oil painting by Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch painter from Delft known for calm, light-filled interiors with one or two figures. It dates from the 17th century, a period when Dutch artists produced many scenes of everyday life set in homes, taverns and courtyards. Pictures showing men and women drinking, making music or courting were a popular type, and Vermeer's painting belongs to this tradition. What sets his treatment apart, and what rewards a visitor's attention, is the restraint of the scene. Rather than a lively gathering, Vermeer shows a still moment: the woman finishing her wine, the man standing close with the jug, and the room around them carefully arranged. Light from the window organises the whole composition, modelling the figures and objects and giving the space a sense of air and depth. The tiled floor, the table and the back wall create a clear, box-like room, a structure seen in several of Vermeer's interiors. In front of the canvas, it is worth stepping back to take in the overall balance of light and dark, then moving closer to study surfaces: the sheen of the red fabric, the folds of the tablecloth, the glint on the wine glass and the colours in the window. At 67.7 by 79.6 cm, the painting is small enough that these details are best seen at close range. Viewers have long read scenes like this as hinting at themes of temptation and self-control, though how strongly Vermeer intended such a message remains a matter of interpretation.

Key facts

More by Johannes Vermeer

• The Concert
• The Girl with the Wine Glass
• The Lacemaker — Louvre Museum
• Girl Interrupted at her Music — The Frick Collection
• Woman with a Pearl Necklace — Gemäldegalerie Berlin
• Woman in Blue Reading a Letter — Rijksmuseum
• The Milkmaid — Rijksmuseum
• Girl with a Pearl Earring — Mauritshuis
• A Young Woman seated at a Virginal — National Gallery
• The Music Lesson
• A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal — National Gallery
• Diana and her Nymphs — Mauritshuis

Sources

• Wikidata Q782639
• www.smb.museum