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Quiz about The Life of Johannes Vermeer
Quiz about The Life of Johannes Vermeer

The Life of Johannes Vermeer Trivia Quiz


I share a last name with this individual, even though I choose to capitalize the M. While I don't paint, I show my artistic side in other ways, as do many of the Vermeers in my town. See what you know about the most famous Vermeer.

A multiple-choice quiz by spaudrey. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
spaudrey
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
306,117
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
497
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 82 (1/10), Guest 185 (8/10), Guest 167 (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. What is the city that Johannes Vermeer was born in? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. How old was Johannes Vermeer when he died? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which of these statements about his marital status is true? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. How many children did Jan Vermeer have? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Scholars attribute 36 paintings to Johannes Vermeer. Which of these is a dominant subject in them, collectively? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Vermeer had an affinity for a certain precious stone/gem, as it appears eleven times in his paintings. Which of these listed is it? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. There is another dominant feature in Vermeer's paintings, a feature that seems to show up in 20 of his 36 paintings. What is it? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Vermeer used the same pigments as many of the artists of his day. But Vermeer had a notable exception, "ultramarine". This color is found in many of his paintings, and Vermeer insisted on not skimping in cost to get this color. To get this color, what rock/stone did Vermeer have to purchase? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The last paintings attributed to Vermeer feature women and "virginals". What best describes a "virginal"? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Though incredibly popular now, Vermeer did not earn enough to keep his family afloat, and after his death his family petitioned for bankruptcy. What famous Dutchman, likely a neighbor of Vermeer, became the trustee for his estate? Hint



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Mar 12 2024 : Guest 82: 1/10
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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What is the city that Johannes Vermeer was born in?

Answer: Delft

Born in 1632 in Delft, he lived there most if not all of his life. The blue style of painting dishes and or fragile pieces of artwork is named after this town. Of the 36 paintings attributed to him, there are a few that show scenes from his hometown.

If by chance you put Poffertjes, that is not a town; that is a delightful pastry shaped like a small half-dollar size pancake. You should try them some time, they are made at booths here in my hometown during Tulip Time, a festival in my hometown celebrating our Dutch heritage. It occurs the first weekend in May in Pella, Iowa. Sorry, any self-respecting Dutchman can't help getting off track when talking about Poffertjes. Mmmmm. Next question...
2. How old was Johannes Vermeer when he died?

Answer: 43

Late in his days, he went into a frenzy, and never recovered. Johannes in his adult life went by the first name Jan, and that is what is listed on his grave marker.
3. Which of these statements about his marital status is true?

Answer: He married once; her name was Catharina Bolnes.

Catharina came from a well-to-do family. She was from Gouda (yes, where the cheese is named after). She was slightly older than Jan, and very devoted to preserving his work after he passed.
4. How many children did Jan Vermeer have?

Answer: fifteen

Jan was blessed (depending on your point of view) with eleven children that survived infanthood; four of their children died very early in their lives. As was customary, children were often named after the children's grandparents. But evidence points to Jan possibly being estranged from his parents, as none of the eleven are named after them.
5. Scholars attribute 36 paintings to Johannes Vermeer. Which of these is a dominant subject in them, collectively?

Answer: Women

Of his 36 paintings, 32 feature women in them somewhere, and 23 of the 36 feature only women. He always painted them in rather mundane situations, but in a manner that gave them a stateliness and dignity. None of Vermeer's female models have ever been truly identified; Vermeer never specified who they were, and any words that state who they are is merely speculation.
6. Vermeer had an affinity for a certain precious stone/gem, as it appears eleven times in his paintings. Which of these listed is it?

Answer: Pearls

Eleven of Vermeer's 36 paintings have pearls in them. Pearls were likely a status symbol during his time, and he found a method for painting them that seemed to make them three-dimensional, most notably in the famous "Girl With a Pearl Earring".
7. There is another dominant feature in Vermeer's paintings, a feature that seems to show up in 20 of his 36 paintings. What is it?

Answer: The same room

Vermeer did a good amount of his work in the upstairs loft of his house. You can see by the light coming in at the same angle from the upper left-side window, and the black-and-white checkerboard pattern that appears on the floor, that likely he created the many scenes in this same room.

While the signature on his paintings did stay similar near the end of his life, it bounced around in different forms during his first two-thirds of his work, seeming to change almost painting to painting.

The people and clothes in his paintings did reoccur, but rarely.
8. Vermeer used the same pigments as many of the artists of his day. But Vermeer had a notable exception, "ultramarine". This color is found in many of his paintings, and Vermeer insisted on not skimping in cost to get this color. To get this color, what rock/stone did Vermeer have to purchase?

Answer: Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is a rock mined in the Afghan mines. Its use as a pigment has gone away mostly, as synthetic ultramrine has since been developed. Most painters used the less expensive azurite, but Vermeer didn't appreciate the lack of intensity that it had compared to Lapis Lazuli.
9. The last paintings attributed to Vermeer feature women and "virginals". What best describes a "virginal"?

Answer: A music keyboard

A virginal is a keyboard instrument similar to a harpsichord. The instrument was most popular during the 17th century in Northern Europe, both the time and place of the Vermeer era.
10. Though incredibly popular now, Vermeer did not earn enough to keep his family afloat, and after his death his family petitioned for bankruptcy. What famous Dutchman, likely a neighbor of Vermeer, became the trustee for his estate?

Answer: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

All of the men listed came from the Netherlands, but van Leeuwenhoek lived in Delft in the same neighborhood as Vermeer. Antonie is known as the "father of microbiology" for his improvements on the microscope. Some have suggested that Vermeer's paintings, "The Astronomer" and "The Geographer" had van Leeuwenhoek as the model.

But about the same number of scholars state that there isn't much similarity in the face structure of the two men.
Source: Author spaudrey

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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