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
Girl with a Pearl Earring a Pearl Earring" (1999), fictionalized the circumstances of the painting's creation. There, Vermeer becomes close to a servant named Griet whom he uses as an assistant and has sit for him as a model while wearing his wife's earrings. The novel also inspired the 2003 film and 2008 play of the same name. The painting also appears in the 2007 film "St Trinian's", when a group of unruly schoolgirls steal it to raise funds to save their school. Ethiopian American artist, Awol Erizku recreated the painting as a print in 2009, centering a young black woman and replacing the pearl