Allegory of the Catholic Faith

Johannes Vermeer: 1632–1675

Selected works

5 records · choose a work for details

Dutch Golden Age paintingNetherlands

Other names (39)

de Delfet Vander-Meer, de Delfsche vander Meer, De Delfsche van der Meer, de Delftsche van der Meer, de Delft Vander Méer, de Delfze van der Meer, Delfsche van der Meer, Delfter Vermeer, Delftsche Vermeer, De Meere, Der Delftsche v. d. Neer, Ĭokhannes Vermer, Ĭokhannes Vermer Delftskiĭ, jan der meer, Jan Reyniersz Vermeer van Delft, Jan van Der Meer, jan van der meer der altere, Jan Van der Meer van Delft, Jan Vermeer de Delft, Jan Vermeer Delft, Jan Vermeer of Delft, jan vermeer of haarlem, Johannes Schwartz, Johannes van Delft Vermeer, J. vander Meer van Delft, J. Vermeer of Delft, of Delft Van der Meer, of Delft V. der Meer, van der Meer, Vandermeer de Delft, Van der Meer de Delft, Vander Meer de Delft, vander Meer van Delft, Van der, of Delft Meer, V. D. Meer, ver meer, vermeer of haarlem, Vermeer van Delft, Vermeer van van Delft

Johannes Vermeer lived and worked in Delft, where he joined the painters' guild as a master in 1653. His relatively small surviving body of work includes religious subjects, domestic interiors and allegories. Carefully directed light and measured arrangements of figures and objects give many of these paintings an intimate character. His early work shows affinities with the Utrecht followers of Caravaggio, although the details of his own training remain uncertain. Artline does not treat a proposed teacher as an established fact. The selected museum paintings include women engaged in everyday activities, a study of a young woman and a religious allegory.

Influenced by

Utrecht followers of Caravaggioscholarly consensus
Evidence
The National Gallery identifies the influence of Caravaggio’s Utrecht followers on Vermeer’s early work. His apprenticeship and possible teachers remain uncertain.
- National Gallery, Londoninfluences
  The National Gallery identifies the influence of Caravaggio’s Utrecht followers on Vermeer’s early work. His apprenticeship and possible teachers remain uncertain.

Later influence

Connections are still being researched.

Sources & research notes 15

Wikidata (CC0)authority enrichment
Wikidata CC0: aliases, short description and non-deprecated P135 movement associations. No influence claims inferred. Review required.
Austrian museum collections: independent authority researchauthority identity and dates
See the linked source for supporting information.
National Gallery, Londonbiography
Original concise biography based on this museum account, with observations about Artline’s selected works.
National Gallery of Artcatalogue authority
NGA stable constituent ID 1951; source display: Dutch, 1632 - 1675. Existing editorial identity and biography retained; new activity interval uses dated selected works, not invented life dates.
National Gallery, Londongeography
Geographic affiliations reviewed against the museum biography; country labels are modern reference geography, not claims of historical citizenship.
Museum authority country reviewgeography
Country affiliation: Netherlands (NL).
National Gallery, Londonidentity
Artist identity reviewed against this museum biography.
Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)identity
Pantheon 2025 by Datawheel, CC BY-SA 4.0; Yu et al. (2016), Scientific Data 2:150075, doi:10.1038/sdata.2015.75. Adapted selection ranked by HPI; popularity is not artistic quality. Source dates are not independently reviewed; existing editorial dates are preserved.
National Gallery, Londonmovements
Primary movement is an editorial classification within Artline’s existing taxonomy, informed by this account of the artist’s period and practice.
Museum authority country reviewmuseum country review 20260913
Country affiliation: Netherlands (NL).
Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)ranking
Pantheon 2025 by Datawheel, CC BY-SA 4.0; Yu et al. (2016), Scientific Data 2:150075, doi:10.1038/sdata.2015.75. Adapted selection ranked by HPI; popularity is not artistic quality. Source dates are not independently reviewed; existing editorial dates are preserved.
Expanded artwork research — official museum evidenceround2 creator authority
Museum creator: Johannes Vermeer; source biography: unknown–unknown; identity basis: museum_authority_or_wikidata_id; source facts preserved in research_artwork_enrichments.
Austrian museum collections: independent authority researchsource cultural country affiliation
See the linked source for supporting information.
National Gallery, Londontimeline dates
Life dates reviewed; approximate or uncertain dates remain qualified.
Pantheon 2025 — Datawheel (CC BY-SA 4.0)timeline dates
Pantheon 2025 by Datawheel, CC BY-SA 4.0; Yu et al. (2016), Scientific Data 2:150075, doi:10.1038/sdata.2015.75. Adapted selection ranked by HPI; popularity is not artistic quality. Source dates are not independently reviewed; existing editorial dates are preserved.

Artwork record: Johannes Vermeer

Allegory of the Catholic Faith

ca. 1670–72

3 / 5

Dating: Approximate date range
Made in: Not yet establishedCreation place not established by this research.
Held at: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 45 x 35 in. (114.3 x 88.9 cm)
Collection no.: 32.100.18
Attribution: By the artist
Image rights: CC0 1.0License details

Johannes Vermeer. Allegory of the Catholic Faith. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. CC0 1.0. Compressed full-frame reproduction.

About this artwork

Allegory of the Catholic Faith — Johannes Vermeer. ca. 1670–72.

Medium: Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 45 x 35 in. (114.3 x 88.9 cm).

Collection record: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Credit line: The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931.

This is a museum catalogue record, not a current-display assertion.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.

Location checked Oct 3, 2026. This does not indicate whether the work is on display.

Artwork sources

The Metropolitan Museum of Artpublication review
Museum object record reviewed for attribution, dating and holding. This records collection membership, not current display. Existing image source, rights evidence and earlier citations are preserved.
The Metropolitan Museum of Artresearch details
Official collection metadata; attribution follows named catalogue, not an independent authenticity determination. Holdings are not ownership or current display. Source attribution requires editorial validation. No inferred masterpiece or current-display claim. Source object IDs are not substituted for accession numbers. Attribution: primary Source material: Oil on canvas. Object dimensions: 45 x 35 in. (114.3 x 88.9 cm). Creation-place metadata (not inferred from subject): . Original/alternate titles: . Source publisher: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Source updated: . Source date: ca. 1670–72. Existing nonempty values, title and dates not overwritten.
The Metropolitan Museum of Artresearch record
Official collection metadata; attribution follows named catalogue, not an independent authenticity determination. Holdings are not ownership or current display. Source attribution requires editorial validation. No inferred masterpiece or current-display claim. Source object IDs are not substituted for accession numbers. Attribution: primary Source date: ca. 1670–72. Access: Official object record from reviewed inventory. Source update: unknown (not substituted with retrieval date)

Image source