Vermeer's patron was, in fact, a woman
According to curators of the retrospective which is opening at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam this week, Vermeer's main patron was probably a woman. Her name was Maria de Knuijt. She was the wife of Pieter van Ruijven. For decades it has been assumed that Van Ruijven, a wealthy Delft citizen, was the patron. New research reveals that De Knuijt had...