´óÏó´«Ã½

‘I gazed at him over my shoulder. My ear was burning, the weight of the pearl pulling at the lobe…’

Who is the young woman in Vermeer’s famous painting? And why are her eyes brimming with tears?

When Griet, a 16-year-old from a poor family, is forced to become a servant in Vermeer’s household, her world is shattered. She crosses Delft to the grand house where the artist is creating his 1660s masterpieces in his attic studio.

Tracy Chevalier’s much-loved novel vividly imagines the story behind the gaze of the unknown model in Vermeer’s painting and what her relationship with the renowned artist might have been.

Griet .... Libby Mai
Vermeer .... Khalid Abdalla
Tanneke …. Laura Elphinstone
Franciscus .... Liam Howes
Agnes …. Flora Froment
Catharina …. Hattie Morahan
Griet’s Mother .… Jane Whittenshaw
Griet’s Father …. Rufus Wright
Cornelia …. Mia Wilks
Maria Thins …. Eleanor Bron
Pieter …. Tom Glenister
Van Ruijven/Pawn Broker .... Tom Goodman-Hill
Maertge .... Flora Froment
Van Leeuwenhoek/Pieter’s Father .... Ben Crowe
Adult Cornelia …. Lissie Minnitt

Dramatised by Ayeesha Menon.

Recorded on location at Keats House, in Hampstead, London and features 17th century Dutch harpsichord music performed by Tim Motz, especially recorded at the Handel & Hendrix House in Mayfair.

Directed and produced by Amber Barnfather

A Goldhawk Essential production for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2020.

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