Woman in Blue Reading a Letter

Johannes Vermeer

c. 1663 · Oil on canvas · Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.

Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Woman in Blue Reading a Letter

Woman Holding a Balance

Young Woman with a Water Pitcher

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675)
Year: c. 1663
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 46.6 × 39.1 cm
Collection: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Movement: Dutch Golden Age

A woman in a blue jacket stands in profile by an unseen window, absorbed in a letter held in both hands, with a map of Holland on the wall behind her and two chairs with brass studs framing the space. Vermeer painted it in Delft around 1663, in a palette dominated by blue, from the ultramarine of the jacket to the shadows on the wall. Nothing happens, and that is the point: the picture is about attention and the light that fills a quiet room. Whether the woman is pregnant has been debated for a century; the loose jacket was simply the fashion. A 2011 restoration removed yellowed varnish and recovered the cool, clear tones. It has been in the Rijksmuseum since 1885, on loan from the City of Amsterdam.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A picture about attention and quiet light, so give it a quiet place: a bedroom, reading corner or landing at 16×24. The cool blues sit well in black on a pale grey wall; avoid competing with it on a busy gallery wall.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Exhibition poster of a Dutch Golden Age painting
Era: 17th century (c. 1663)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: calm
Rooms: bedroom, hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Woman in Blue Reading a Letter in the public domain?

Yes. Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Rijksmuseum.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Woman in Blue Reading a Letter painted, and in what medium?

Woman in Blue Reading a Letter dates from c. 1663 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 46.6 × 39.1 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Woman in Blue Reading a Letter we'd choose 16×24.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Vermeer's Woman in Blue Reading a Letter — the whole intimate interior shown uncropped beneath gallery typography. A quiet, perfect Dutch Golden Age scene, styled as a blockbuster print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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