16 The famous Dresden painting was for centuries firmly inscribed in the collective visual memory and public imagination, albeit in its previous (falsified) form – with the overpainting of the background picture executed by another hand (fig. 3). The portrayal of the delicate female figure in strict profile in front of a bare, light-coloured wall enhanced the impact of the composition, lending it an icon-like quality and imbuing the painting with an almost meditative effect. The countless reproductions of this painting – in its falsified form – in German living rooms have long borne testimony to its great appeal and popularity. For about three years, the public has been confronted with a restored painting4 whose transformation has evoked both approval and enthusiasm, on the one hand, and disappointment and incomprehension on the other. A statistical survey 5 by the website Essential Vermeer 3.0 revealed that 44 percent of the more than 6,000 users who responded to the question, “What are your feelings about the restored Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window?” stated that they still preferred the earlier inauthentic composition and/or did not believe our findings, which led to the overpainting being removed. Nevertheless, just over half of them accepted the removal of the overpainting since it was the result of comprehensive scientific analyses and the decision of an international committee of experts. It would appear that the painting in its earlier, falsified form corresponded more closely to our modern-day visual conventions than the original version revealed by the restoration – presumably that was one reason for the disapproval on the part of many viewers. The aforementioned statistics are also interesting as regards people’s readiness to trust in the scientific and artistic analyses of the experts involved (fig. 4).6 After all, 56 percent of all the participating users – and hence a slight majority of those surveyed – were confident that despite the new, unfamiliar visual experience, the decision taken in Dresden was right, since it accorded with Vermeer’s intentions. During the Dresden exhibition Johannes Vermeer. Vom Innehalten (“Johannes Vermeer: On Reflection”) in 2021, we also made another important observation: Visitors who initially expressed disapproval or doubt concerning the removal of the overpainting on the Girl Reading a Letter gained a new outlook on the restored painting thanks to its direct comparison with other works by Vermeer (fig. 5).7 In this they were especially helped by a small parallel presentation featuring in-depth educational and multimedia displays showing the discoveries made during the restoration process and the scientific basis for deciding to remove the overpainting. In addition, there were further media-based, in-depth educational offerings on the subject (fig. 6).8 Against this background, it now seems appropriate and worthwhile to provide a more comprehensive discussion and commentary on this extraordinary restoration than was originally possible in the exhibition catalogue of 2021. Fig. 3 Johannes Vermeer Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window before restauration Fig. 4 Members of the expert commission examining the painting, September 9, 2021
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