The Lacemaker (Vermeer) foreground. By rendering areas of the canvas as out-of-focus, Vermeer is able to suggest depth of field in a manner unusual of Dutch Baroque painting of the era. In "The Lacemaker", the artist presents in an abstract manner the various elements which compose the girl's face and body and the pattern of the material on which she is working. The girl's hands, the curls of her hair and the T-cross which form her eyes and nose are all described in an abstract manner unusual for the era in which Vermeer worked. In addition, the red and white of the lace
The Woman with the Spider's Web outcome and when asked by his brother to produce further works for transfer, he declined, writing, "ask another artist". Original cuts of "Woman with the Spider's Web" are in the British Museum, London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, amongst other locations. The image shows a female figure sitting by a dead tree as she solemnly looks into the distance, away from the viewer. Her elbow rests on a broken tree branch, while, according to art historian Albert Boime, "all around her weeds have sprung up (including the sickening thistles, traditional symbols of melancholy)". Many of the overgrown