A young woman stands at a window, one hand on the casement, the other on a silver-gilt pitcher in a basin. Soft daylight falls on her white headscarf. As in many Vermeers, a map hangs on the wall behind her.

It was the first painting by Vermeer to enter an American collection, given to the Met in 1889. Look at the blues: the scarf, the window glass and the cloth all reflect the same cool light.