The map

The map on the back wall of the studio is based on one by the famous cartographer Nicolaes Visscher, known as Piscator, as the Latin inscription shows: “… per nicolaum piscatorem.” There are 20 city views on the left and right borders of the map.

On the left: Brussels, Luxembourg, Ghent, Bergen, Amsterdam, Namur, Leeuwarden, Utrecht, Zutphen and The Hague. On the right: Limburg, Nijmegen, Arras, Dort, Middelburg, Antwerp, Mechelen, Deventer, Groningen and again Brussels.

The folds and tears in the map are like the contours of the landscape. The central fold stands out especially and probably represents the border of Holland. Although the southern part of the Netherlands belongs to the Spanish when the picture is painted, Vermeer shows the country with all 17 provinces.