It is interesting, kept me reading through the whole book, but... it's a bit long. Could have benefited if Rosalind had decided to tell the story of only one of the girls. All their stories could have been an independent book. It's a bit trope-y, but it was written 1991 (or first published), so I suppose they wouldn't have been quite that trope-y at that time :-D
“To call on Master Rembrandt. I've got that new book on Caravaggio that he wants to read.”
Surely not.
Giovanni Baglione's Le vite de' pittori, 1642
Oh... so it could be possible! Wow!
“She was unaware of the extent to which her face had taken on an unusual and striking beauty, for she saw no symmetry in her features such as she admired in others and she was dismissive of compliments. Yet there was a haunting, fascinating quality to her expressive visage that Hendrick had long recognized in his paintings of her, and which was further enhanced by her lustrous green eyes, the upper lids weighed down by thick lashes. Her nose was narrow with delicately flaring nostrils and her neck was long, giving her a swanlike poise. Her cheekbones were wide, as was her mouth, but her lips were curved and her complexion was smooth as creamy silk.”
Ugh.
The guy bought tulip bulbs which are probably VERY expensive and the maid says “OK”, and takes them, VERY WELL AWARE OF THAT THEY CAN'T AFFORD THEM! She should have told the man to take them back because master doesn't have any money.
So a pregnant woman falls, hits herself and goes into labor.
About 1/3 of the book later, a pregnant woman falls, hits herself and goes into labor.
Ok, so things like that happen. But twice in the same book? No.
Jan Vermeer probably didn't use camera obscura at all. How would I know?
1) there wasn't no camera obscura boxes, rooms or lenses in his house when he died
2) he puts details in the paintings that weren't there in real life, like tiles on the floor
3) there are pin marks in his paintings corresponding where chalk lines would have been in the elementary 1 vanishing point perspective
4) it was too dark in the rooms for camera obscura. It needs a LOT of light, usually it was used only outside in strong sunlight.
So, she couldn't write, and she refused the offer of using Jan Vermeer as her messenger, because she was waiting for Willem de Hartog... because “I don't want to cause any bone of contention between you and Geetruyd”. What? How would she have known? Uh. Problems just to have problems.
“There will be no more meals served to the master on trays. He's not an invalid.”
He isn't? He lost his legs in an accident, invalid is exactly what he is! :-D
