A young woman most likely a maid, as the title suggests, pouring milk and breaking bread with the warm wash of morning sun reflecting on her and the few items in the room. At the far right the light source is identified as the natural sunlight shines through the small panes of an unadorned window. A simple black picture frame, a wicker basket and a copper container are the only items on the wall. This emphasizes the functionality of the room. In the forefront a simple table is covered with cloth and the basket of bread which has been painted with extra dots of white paint to give the elusion of the reflection of light make the texture and surface nearly photographic to life.
The woman’s strong, sturdy build, a reference to her working class, is accentuated in the contrast of the bare cream wall behind. She wears a traditional Dutch crisp linen cap, vibrant yellow dress and a flowing blue apron; her sleeves are pushed up from her strong thick forearms. The woman’s gaze is directed downward and her lips pursed as in deep concentration. Her exact reason for concentration is not inherently obvious: whether focused on the task at hand, pouring the milk into the large mouthed basin, thinking about the man she loves, as referenced by the blue and white Delft
Continued debate between historians has credited Vermeer’s photographic quality of painting to the use of the camera obscura, an optical device that predates the photographic camera. While it is probable he may have used a lens for his observation and composition, it is more likely that his observation of natural light reflection and his ability to recreate the light and perspective effects in paint provide this photographic quality. Whether Vermeer used this technology or not is an ongoing debate, yet the innovative compositional and painting techniques he employed have become a staple in Baroque art and a major influence on later artists.
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