Around 1665 Vermeer (1632-1675) painted a number of "tronies", of which this is undoubtedly the best known and loved. A "tronie" is a painted face that is intended not to be a portrait, but as a rendering of a particular type of character. Imaginative details of the sitter's apparel are often an important aspect of the picture, as in case of this girl with her turban and the oversized pearl at her ear.
The exotically clad girl (who looks over her shoulder at us with parted lips) is brightly illuminated and set against a dark, indeterminate background. She is painted in an extremely free and expressive style. Tiny dots of paint have been used to add highlights, for instance at the eyes and the corners of the mouth. The pearl is made up of only a few brushstrokes: a brightly lit accent at upper left and the soft reflection of the white collar in the jewel's underside.

Girl with a Pearl Earring is on display at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague.

Source: Mauritshuis Museum, The Hague.

Master of Painting, Johannes Vermeer