#25 Girl with a Pearl Earring — Mug

She is not a portrait of anybody. Vermeer painted a *tronie* — a study of a face and an exotic costume rather than a likeness of a particular woman — which is why no name has ever been attached to her and no record of a sitter exists. The earring is a puzzle of its own: a real pearl that size would have been among the largest in Europe, and the way it holds the light suggests polished glass. The turban is not Dutch either. Almost everything about her was invented. Mauritshuis, The Hague.

The story: Somebody Bought the Girl with a Pearl Earring for Two Guilders

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EU representative: HONSON VENTURES LIMITED, gpsr@honsonventures.com, 3, Gnaftis House flat 102, Limassol, Mesa Geitonia, 4003, CY

Product information: Generic brand, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC

Care instructions: Clean in dishwasher or wash by hand with warm water and dish soap