"In taking up the motif of the exchange of letters, Vermeer and his contemporaries explored and imagined the inner lives and emotions of their painted subjects, often creating enigmatic narrative scenes. Of about three dozen surviving works by Vermeer, six are variations on this theme. The three works united in the exhibition share a particular focus on women in the domestic sphere: ladies and their maidservants. The complex relationships, tensions, and trust between these two social classes--domestic servants and their employers--is a topic linked to and exemplified by the writing, reading, and delivery of letters. Fucci examines these ideas in the literary and artistic contexts of Vermeer's time. The display of the three works brought together in Vermeer's Love Letters captures the artist's ability to portray themes of everyday life with nuance, variety, and drama. The exhibition catalogue by Fucci provides a close examination of the three paintings in this show and of the motif of letter writing in Vermeer's oeuvre and the broader cultural context of the time. Through meticulous analysis, Fucci presents the thematic undercurrents that connect these masterpieces, shedding light on Vermeer's legacy and his ability to capture moments of intimacy with unparalleled depth.

" -- ART HISTORY NEWS "Organized around three intimate paintings of women reading and writing, this book draws readers into the world of domestic Dutch interiors, coded gestures and painterly mystery. The volume brings together works from the Frick Collection, the Rijksmuseum and the National Gallery of Ireland and includes essays that expand on Vermeer's enduring themes of intimacy, distance and time. Vermeer's paintings reward close looking, and this book rewards close reading. The scholarly essays offer insight without diminishing the quiet spell of these works. One of the three paintings is currently on view at the newly renovated Frick in New York--an ideal companion experience to the book itself." -- OBSERVER.