Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring – To age or not to age?

Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is still a very popular painting that we are asked to paint. However, there is a definite split of people who want it aged so you can see the cracks in the reproduction and those that don’t. The original Girl with a Pearl Earring was painted in c.1665 so it is over 3 hundred years old and yes there are definite obvious cracks in the original portrait. So would you want your oil replica of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring to have the same cracks in it? Even though the only reason why the painting has cracks in it is due to age not by purpose or Vermeer’s intention?

Why are their cracks on Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring

Over time, the paint become less flexible and more brittle if environment settings aren’t ideal the canvas can relax and shrink, which in turn creates stresses in the paint layers and the layers then crack.

Our Vermeer artist used to offer ageing The Girl with the Pearl Earring by applying craquelure (craquelure is is the fine pattern of dense “cracking”) There are special varnishes that can be used to produce cracks in new paintings but our artist didn’t like using them as results vary. However, we now have an artist who will  directly age the canvas producing cracks in it and will then paint a Girl with a Pearl Earring on the cracked canvas. So you now have two options, you decide. 

Our hand painted oil replica painting of Girl with a Pearl Earring that has not been aged.

 

Our Replica of The Girl with a Pearl Earring that has been aged

vermeer girl with a pearl earring

Our art reproduction artist has aged the canvas by producing cracks in the canvas first then he paints on top of it.

 

What are the differences in price?

At the moment for an un-aged Girl with a Pearl Earring 44 cm x 39 cm (original dimensions) we charge £197 + VAT for an aged Girl with a Pearl Earring 44cm x 39cm we charge £250 + VAT. Worldwide delivery is free.

 

But why stop there?

How about having your dog painted as The Girl with a Pearl Earring?  Here’s Millie the Labrador.

dog as girl with a pearl earring

 

How about having yourself pained as The Girl with a Pearl Earring?

 have yourself painted as girl with a pearl earring

Have no idea who we are?

art reproduction

We’re a fine art reproduction company called Fabulous Masterpieces that solely concentrates on painting high quality reproduction oil paintings.  We’ve even produced a magazine on the topic to help you out if you want to learn more about fine art copies. Just click on the image above.

 

Have an art reproduction question?

We’d love to hear from you! If you would like to add something,  or ask a question concerning our art reproductions please email [email protected] or leave a comment.

Bye for now

Anna x

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *