A scene of this painting is a well-to-do woman is being handed a letter. She glances up questioningly at her maid and paused in her lute playing. Although the lady has not yet opened the letter it is apparently from the picture that it is from a lover. The two pictures in the background indicate this.
Emblem of the Objects in the Painting
A painting within a painting often indicates the artist’s intention in the picture. Here the lower painting is a seascape. In the 17th century language of imagery the sea stood for love and a ship for a lover. The upper picture shows a man walking along a sandy path: as in the painting of the ship, there is the suggestion of a person on a journey. The lover is far from home but never far from her heart. Vermeer has incorporated even more references to love into this picture. A lute symbolizes the harmony produced by love: when one lute is played, other nearby lutes resonate in sympathy.
Spatial Arrangement in the Painting
The location of the observer is interesting in the painting. It can be seen that a scene of domestic intimacy is revealed by pulling a curtain to one side. So it reveals another space in front of it.
Illumination Analysis of this Painting
The light is going through from left side of the room for that lady playing the lute. And the space in front of it is darker, which indicates the space is more privacy.
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