In what may be one of the first works of his mature style, Vermeer transforms the theme of a girl entertaining her suitor, already popular in Dutch art, into a dazzling study of light-filled space. The dark foil of the officer’s silhouette dramatizes both the illusion of depth and the brilliant play of light over the woman and the furnishings of the chamber. The map of Holland on the far wall, oriented with west at the top, was first published in 1621. Both the map and the chairs appear in other paintings by Vermeer.
Cartography is often described as a combination of science and art and maps have always been regarded as the fusion of scientific and artistic efforts. The links of cartography and art are witnessed, among others, in maps depicted in paintings of great masters, such as the Dutch painters of the 17 century, where both cartography and art were flourishing. A representative example is Johannes Vermeer; in his painting “Officer and laughing girl” (~1660) an officer and a young girl are placed in an interior, sitting at a table in front of a window. On the wall behind the girl a large map is hanging, occupying a large part of the painting. The map on the painting depicts part of the Netherlands; its remarkable similarity with the original topographic map of its time (~1620) makes comparison a real challenge