If you’ve been using your time in lockdown to watch a million films you may have found yourself thinking about the places where your favourites were set. Here, we take a look at the Girl with a Pearl Earring filming locations in Delft, and how you can start to plan your future visit.
Girl with a Pearl Earring was released in 2003 and imagines the story behind the world-famous painting of the same name. In the film, which is set in 1665, Scarlett Johansson plays 17 year old Griet who has to find work after her father goes blind. She ends up working as a maid for artist Johannes Vermeer, who lived and worked in the Dutch city of Delft throughout his entire life, and the two form an unlikely friendship. Griet and Vermeer, who is played by Colin Firth, try to keep their friendship a secret from the painter’s jealous wife, but a wealthy patron takes a liking to Griet and commissions a painting of her, which pushes the pair to spend long hours together.
Although this story took place in Delft, only some of the movie’s scenes were shot here, with others being filmed in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Amsterdam.
Girl with a Pearl Earring filming locations in Delft
Despite Girl with a Pearl Earring being shot across multiple countries, there are some filming locations in Delft that you can find during a visit there. For example, the city’s impressive Market Square can be seen in both the opening and closing scenes of the film when Griet walks across it. Just like in the film, the square still hosts markets today, and has done for centuries. In fact, Delft’s markets are so popular that they regularly welcome visitors from the nearby cities of Rotterdam and The Hague, in addition to tourists.
Just off of Market Square, you’ll find the meat hall where Griet goes shopping and meets Pieter, the butcher’s son, who she later goes on to marry. This building is one of the oldest still standing in Delft, and looks different to the city’s other structures due to being designed in a Dutch Classicalism style. Although the building has changed purpose throughout the years, you can spot a bull and calf etched above the two entrances which hint at its beginnings as a meat hall.
You can find another of the Girl with a Pearl Earring’s filming locations just along the street from the old meat hall, by the back of the Oude Kerk (Old Church). Here, you’ll discover the steps of a stone bridge which Griet walks over in the movie. Although this setting may play just a small part in the film, they’re worth visiting even if only just on your way to see the Oude Kerk, as this is where Vermeer is buried.
Visit Vermeer Centrum Delft
Once you’ve followed Griet’s footsteps around Delft, you can learn more about Vermeer and his work at the Vermeer Centrum Delft. This museum holds high-quality copies of each of Vermeer’s 37 paintings arranged in chronological order, and contains plenty of information about his life too. You’ll be provided with an audio guide upon visiting the museum, and this will give you extra details about the artworks that you see before you. You can also watch a short film about the artist’s life, and can experiment with innovative multi-touch tables to dig further into his fascinating life in Delft, using photos, maps, and drawings. In addition to this, you’ll have the opportunity to discover why Vermeer was known as the ‘Master of Light’ as you explore the studio that has been set up in the museum.
See the Girl with a Pearl Earring painting
Unfortunately, you will not be able to see the original Girl with a Pearl Earring painting in Delft as it is on display in the Hague‘s Mauritshuis museum. However, you can reach the Hague from Delft via a 30 minute tram ride, so it’s very easy to travel between the two cities on your Vermeer adventure.
The painting itself is Vermeer’s most famous, and attracts visitors from around the world. You can see from this piece why Vermeer is celebrated for his use of light, as the model’s skin and lips seem to glimmer, and the pearl in her ear looks like it’s shining too. Very little is known about the girl in the painting, and the novel and film about her are based purely on speculation. This gives the artwork added mystery, which is perhaps why it’s still so popular today.
Now that you know where to find the Girl with a Pearl Earring filming locations in Delft, start planning your trip and get ready to discover the story for yourself.
