Johannes Vermeer painted this small canvas in oils around 1665. The girl’s body is turned away, but she looks back over her shoulder, her lips slightly parted. A strip of yellow cloth falls from her blue turban, following the curve of her back.
The painting is a tronie, the Dutch 17th-century description of a "head" that was not meant to be a portrait. What gives the figure such a sense of movement is the different turn of the head and shoulders. Against the dark ground, the white collar marks the point where they meet.
Two touches of white paint give the earring its volume. A thick dab catches the light at the top, while a softer stroke along the lower edge picks up the reflection of the collar. Vermeer left the hook unpainted. The painting is now in the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
