"In the seventeenth century, industry and commerce thrived in the Dutch city of Delft, as did art and culture. In 1653, the twenty-one-year-old son of an innkeeper, the artist Johannes Vermeer, registered as a master painter with the city's Guild of St. Luke. Vermeer married well, had many children, and enjoyed a respectable local reputation as a painter until his death in 1675. But it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that his genius was widely appreciated, inspiring admiration and a wealth of literary output, as well as a rash of forgeries and robberies. Today, Vermeer's thirty-five paintings are regarded as masterpieces.". "In Vermeer: A View of Delft, Anthony Bailey presents a compelling portrait of Vermeer's life and character, long lost to history. Bailey re-creates the atmosphere of the times, introduces Vermeer's colleagues, and portrays his domestic life in vibrant detail. In the bustling artistic life of Delft, Vermeer was one of many painters and skilled craftsmen who enjoyed a society of mutual influence and assistance. Vermeer's neighbors included Antony van Leeuwenhoek of microscopy fame, who had a hand in sorting out Vermeer's estate and may have modeled for two of his paintings.". "Drawing on period documents and his own intense curiosity, Bailey details the science and artistry behind the calm, mysterious pictures, exploring Vermeer's perspective techniques and the possibility that he used a camera obscura. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, Bailey's book illuminates the life of a man who was himself a master of light and intensity."--BOOK JACKET.