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The most expensive Vermeer ever sold

The most expensive Vermeer ever sold is A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals: $30.1 million at Sotheby's London in 2004. Famous works such as Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Milkmaid and View of Delft are in public collections, so they are not for sale and have no price.

Lived
1632–1675
From
Dutch
Movement
Dutch Golden Age
Worked in
Delft
Portrait of Johannes Vermeer
Vermeer's record$30.1MA Young Woman Seated at the Virginals · 2004

Vermeer's famous works and their prices

“Not for sale” means a public collection holds the work. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

Vermeer next to other artists

Each artist's highest documented sale, from the same research.

  1. Rousseau$43.5MLes Flamants · 2023
  2. Degas$41.6MPetite danseuse de quatorze ans · 2022
  3. Constable$35.2MThe Lock · 2012
  4. Pissarro$32.1MLe Boulevard Montmartre, matinée de printemps · 2014
  5. Vermeer$30.1MA Young Woman Seated at the Virginals · 2004
  6. Michelangelo$27.2MStudy for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl · 2026
  7. Sargent$23.5MGroup with Parasols · 2004
  8. Toulouse-Lautrec$22.4MLa Blanchisseuse · 2005
  9. Velázquez$17MSaint Rufina · 2007

Bars are to scale within this list. Source for Vermeer's record: en.wikipedia.org.

About Johannes Vermeer

Dutch Golden Age painter celebrated for his serene interior scenes and extraordinary mastery of light. Working slowly in the town of Delft, he left only about 34 known paintings, many showing solitary figures absorbed in quiet, everyday tasks. Little is documented about his life, and he died in debt and obscurity in 1675. Rediscovered in the 19th century, he is now regarded as one of the greatest painters of all time.

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Questions

What is the most expensive Vermeer ever sold?

A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals, which sold for $30.1 million at Sotheby's London in 2004. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

How much is a Vermeer painting worth?

It depends on the work. The highest documented sale is $30.1 million for A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals. Works in public collections are not for sale.

Where can I see Vermeer's paintings?

Among the works here: the Mauritshuis, The Hague, the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, the National Gallery of Art, Washington and the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden.

Who was Johannes Vermeer?

Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675). Dutch Golden Age painter celebrated for his serene interior scenes and extraordinary mastery of light. Working slowly in the town of Delft, he left only about 34 known paintings, many showing solitary figures absorbed in quiet, everyday tasks. Little is documented about his life, and he died in debt and obscurity in 1675. Rediscovered in the 19th century, he is now regarded as one of the greatest painters of all time.

Other artists