'A portrait of radiance…Tracy Chevalier brings the real artist Vermeer and a fictional muse to life in a jewel of a novel' Time ‘If ever a novel rightly deserves its “five millions copies sold” achievement, it is this dazzling little masterpiece … Absolute magic’ Daily Mail I will hold this novel close for the rest of my life’ Jessie Burton, author of The Minaturist Tense yet perfectly-paced and filled with the beauty of life's colours, Girl with the Pearl Earring is a masterpiece in its own right. ‘Timeless, delicate and as exquisitely measured as one of Vermeer's paintings. ‘A veritable work of art… one of those rare novels where all the decisions made by the author appear inevitable and right’ Rose Tremain Vivid and captivating, this timeless modern classic has become a successful film and an international bestseller, with over 5 million copies sold around the world now with a new introduction by the author. But then he gives her his wife’s pearl earrings to wear for a portrait, and a scandal erupts that could threaten Griet’s future… When servant girl Griet catches his eye, she soon becomes both student and muse. Johannes Vermeer can spot exceptional beauty. But who? What is she thinking as she stares out from one of the world’s best-loved paintings? I urge you to go if you can - though as I write it is already 3/4 sold out.Those eyes are fixed on someone. Without being hyperbolic, it was up there as one of the top art experiences of my life. They retain their mysterious power, and it is in fact enhanced by being amongst their own. The paintings positively glow from the walls, and because there are so few, it's easy to spend a lot of time with each, and to walk back and forth between them, comparing and contrasting. The curators have done a wonderful job presenting them in a very Vermeer manner, on soberly painted walls with plenty of space around each. I was thrilled to be there and feel for myself what it's like to be among 28 of Vermeer's 37 known works. I was reviewing it for BBC Radio and for The Art Newspaper, but I ended up getting interviewed about All Things Vermeer: his enduring qualities, his appeal, and how much my novel played a part in boosting interest in him.That last question was hard to answer without sounding either immodest or too modest! This became apparent last week when I visited the new Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam during Press Day. Indeed, I seem to have become something of a Vermeer ambassador. Little did I know that 25 years later I would still be talking about that painting and that painter.

In February 1998 I began researching the novel Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Pearl earring book