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Vermeer's limited fame outside of his hometown, Deft, in the 1600s, enabled his work to go unheralded for a couple of centuries, and for the past two-hundred years, his work has been revered and often copied, especially by those attempting to emulate the Dutch masters. 

Vermeer's use of color was a frighteningly expensive burden in his days, and the artist has found populist fame since his citing as inspiration for a fictitious novel, "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" (helped along by a movie adaptation starring Scarlett Johanssen). Unfortunately, not much is known of Vermeer's personal life except that he inherited the running of a tavern and was the father of ten or more children. His craft was revered in his town, resulting in his leadership of the local artists' guild, and he lived during a time of great wars (both England and Germany attacked Holland), financial turmoil, and a distinctive class system.

Despite his limited output (the provenance of three additional paintings thought to be Vermeer's, remains unresolved), Vermeer also served as the unlikely inspiration for an artist who followed him four hundred years later, and whose thousands of works represent the greatest canon of the surrealist movement.

THE LACEMAKER... by Vermeer, and by Dali (after Vermeer):