Girl With a Pearl Earring is a painting produced around 1665 by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer.
One of the most beautiful and the most famous stories of the Dutch Golden Age, originally titled Girl with a Turban and was the inspiration for the historical novel of Tracy Chevalier.
Painting is not a classic portrait, but the common type of head and shoulders of a girl dressed in oriental style. The girl with the turban is shown in half profile and she is looking directly at the viewer. The painting is extremely sensual. Girls mouth is slightly open as she is about to say something. Dark background emphasizes the figure of girl. The identity of a model remains unknown, although it is believed that the person was close to the artist. Earring is too large to be a real pearl, so it is probably made of other materials. The painting is often referred to as Dutch Mona Lisa / Mona Lisa of The North because of the beautiful girl’s mysterious look and identity.
The work can be viewed at Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands.