Johannes Vermeer - The Yellow Jacket

It is estimated that Dutch master Johannes Vermeer painted at most around 60 pictures in his lifetime - with only 34 now surviving which can be confidently attributed to him.

Now, compare that to his close contemporary Rembrandt van Rijn, who painted well over 600 pictures (along with countless other drawings/ etchings) - or, further still, to someone like Claude Monet (who made upwards of 2000 ) . . . and we can see just how rare Vermeer’s work actually is!

Indeed, perhaps the only other iconic artist who has achieved this level of fame with such minimal output as a painter would be Leonardo da Vinci.

But though his oeuvre is small, there is a really interesting detail which pops up repeatedly across at least six of Vermeer’s paintings - and has become almost like a second signature for the great man.

A distinctive yellow Jacket.

The first time it appears is here, with his “Woman with a Lute” from 1662/63.(Although incidentally, even before this, we find “The Milkmaid”, “The Procuress”, and a “Girl reading a letter by an open window” - all of whom are also wearing a slightly different yellow outfit too)

But in this picture, much of the real detail of this garment is hidden behind the musical instrument and cast in shadow.

So, it is in our work below - which was probably painted at the same time as the piece above - where the yellow jacket is first given a real starring role.

Now, of course, theories range as to why Vermeer may have chosen to feature this outfit so regularly.

According to a short inventory of his possessions soon after his tragically early death at only 43 years old - a yellow jacket was listed as belonging to his beloved wife, Catharina.

So perhaps the most logical answer here is that the jacket was simply his wife’s favourite item of clothing- and as such, Vermeer wanted to add it into these works as a kind of tribute to her.

In fact, many scholars have suggested that Catharina was actually personally the model for all these paintings too - hence, it makes sense that she would want to be featured wearing what may well have been the most expensive item she owned.

But though there certainly is a similarity of features with the woman in each of these works - it is still not enough for us to know with certainty that she is the same person, or the artist’s wife.

And for that reason, there is definitely more we need to consider here as to why the Yellow Jacket was such a favourite for Vermeer.

Of course, luxury garments like this have always been a status symbol - much like the fine furniture or Pearl jewellery which also often features in Vermeer’s art too.

So while we know that Vermeer himself was actually living on the breadline and struggling for money throughout his adult life - perhaps the yellow Jacket was his way of trying to present an air of refinement too . . . or to give himself and his household the illusion of wealth.

Or similarly, if he had commercial buyers in mind while paintings these works , maybe he was consciously trying to appeal to their tastes with a jacket that would have been considered the height of fashion at the time.

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But having said that, there is also a chance that Vermeer was simply making an artistic choice here instead - perhaps with the intention for all of these paintings to be like an ongoing series revolving around the life of the same central character.

And, if so, the yellow jacket might then have been included as a point of continuity - linking together all the scenes which take place in different rooms at different times of the day (and may well feature a different model too)

If that is the case, then it opens up the wonderful possibility that all of these paintings offer us a story on the progress of falling in love - starting with the innocent joy of playing a love song, to the thrill of writing a love letter, to the nerves of getting dressed and preparing to meet our beloved, to the uncertainties which may come from receiving an unexpected letter from them. (Or the fear if it turns out that the letter is the bringer of bad news about them!)

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But as always in these matters, this is a mystery which will probably always remain entirely open to individual interpretation.

And the only person who could ever tell us the real truth about that famous yellow jacket would be Johannes Vermeer himself.

(Although, admittedly, his wife Catharina might at least have been able to tell us if the Jacket really was as expensive as it looks . . . or if, in their financially precarious state, they had invested in a cheaper / fake version instead!)

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