Woman Writing a Letter with Her Maid

A green curtain is pulled aside to show two women absorbed in their respective activities, one writing and the other, a maid, looking dreamily out the window. The status of the seated woman as the lady of the household is conveyed by her attire, which includes large pearl earrings. Similar jewelry appears in all three paintings. On the ground lie a red seal, a stick of sealing wax, and paper, perhaps a letter-writing manual. The painting hanging on the wall depicts the Finding of Moses—a biblical episode that involves a princess, her servants, and an abandoned baby raised in secret. As with some of Vermeer's other background paintings, it inspires a number of interpretations.