Public sale records, not an appraisal

How much is The Milkmaid worth?

The Milkmaid is not for sale: it is held by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, so it has no market price. The closest guide is Vermeer's highest documented sale: $30.1 million for A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals, at Sotheby's London in 2004.

Artist: Johannes Vermeer
Date: c. 1658
Medium: Oil on canvas
Held by: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Vermeer's record$30.1MA Young Woman Seated at the Virginals · 2004

About the painting

A kitchen maid pours milk with total concentration in a plain room lit from a side window. Vermeer turns an ordinary domestic moment into something monumental through his handling of light, texture and colour. It is a highlight of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

More on the artist: the most expensive Vermeer ever sold, and where the famous ones hang.

Vermeer next to other famous artists

Each artist's highest documented sale, from the same research. Vermeer: $30.1 million for A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals, in 2004.

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

Nominal US dollars as reported at the time of sale, buyer's premium included where the source includes it.

Why it has no price

The Milkmaid is held by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Works in public collections are not sold, so no one can put a market price on them. Sale records of other works by the same artist are the closest guide to what it would fetch.

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Art Scanner result for the Mona Lisa with its $100M insured value tag — The Mona Lisa in Art Scanner: insured value $100M, Musée du Louvre, 1962

Questions

How much is The Milkmaid worth?

The Milkmaid is not for sale: it is held by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, so it has no market price. The closest guide is Vermeer's highest documented sale: $30.1 million for A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals, at Sotheby's London in 2004.

Is The Milkmaid for sale?

No. It is held by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Works in public collections are not sold, so they have no market price.

What is Vermeer's most expensive work?

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.

Where is The Milkmaid?

The Milkmaid (c. 1658, oil on canvas) is held by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.