Pieter van Ruijven had belonged to the Van Ruijvens, who had built up a large collection of paintings by Vermeer, three by Emanuel de Witte, four by Simon de Vlieger and one by Jan Porcellis. He is depicted as a predatory lecher in Tracy Chevalier's historical novel "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (1999), although there is absolutely no evidence of this. The 2003 film of the book also follows this characterization. Pieter van Ruijven Pieter Claesz. van Ruijven (Delft, 1624 – Delft, August 7, 1674) is best known as Johannes Vermeer's patron for the better part of the artist's career. Van Ruijven was
Johannes Vermeer in close connection with pioneer lens maker Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and Leeuwenhoek was his executor after death. Vermeer produced a total of fewer than 50 paintings, of which 34 have survived. Only three Vermeer paintings are dated: "The Procuress" (1656; Gemäldegalerie, Dresden); "The Astronomer" (1668; Musée du Louvre, Paris); and "The Geographer" (1669; Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt). Vermeer's mother-in-law Maria Thins owned Dirck van Baburen's 1622 oil-on-canvas "The Procuress" (or a copy of it), which appears in the background of two of Vermeer's paintings. The same subject was also painted by Vermeer. Almost all of Vermeer's paintings are of contemporary subjects