Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid at least a degree of intimacy between the two. The painting visits many of Vermeer's usual painterly motifs; in particular his obsession with the inside/outside axis of interior spaces, and through his description of the tiled floor as well as the verticals of the dresses, window frame and back wall painting, his interest in geometry and abstract form. Vermeer had experimented with this painterly device earlier in his career, notably in his "View of Delft", "The Lacemaker" and "The Art of Painting". "Lady Writing" was stolen on 27 April 1974, along with a Goya, two Gainsboroughs and three Rubens from
Master of Delft Mayor of Delft, Dirk van Beest, and his family. Master of Delft The Master of Delft (fl –1520) was a Dutch painter. He may have been born in 1470. His style can be compared to the Master of the Virgo inter Virgines, who was believed to have been active in Delft. The Master of Delft can be connected to Delft by the inclusion of the Nieuwe Kerk tower, which was completed in 1496, in the background of his early "Crucifixion" triptych. He can also be connected with Delft by a pair of altarpiece wings painted in the Master's workshop circa