Young Woman with a Water Pitcher

Only 34 artworks by Vermeer have survived.

This is one of his most beautiful : a woman opening a window while holding a water pitcher, bathed in morning light.

Vermeer lived and died in Delft, at a time when the Dutch Republic was the wealthiest society on earth.

The Dutch East India Company - the world's first multinational corporation - controlled the spice routes to Asia and made Amsterdam the centre of global trade.

That wealth flowed to a prosperous merchant class, who commissioned artworks for their homes.

The result was an art market unlike anything seen before - it was estimated that more than a million paintings were produced in the Netherlands in the 17th century alone.

However Vermeer was not so lucky. He sold most of his art to a single patron and left behind enormous debts when he died in 1675.

His wife Catharina ended up selling his paintings to a local baker to pay off the debts.

Vermeer was largely forgotten after his death - and only rediscovered in the late 19th century.

This painting was bought by the Met in 1888 for $800 (!) - and is considered priceless today.