Red petticoat

**A warm vertical accent.** The red petticoat emerges beneath the blue apron, adding a muted but important warmth near the painting’s lower center. This red passage helps keep the figure visually anchored to the floor and balances the warmer browns of the table objects, bread, and footwarmer. Its partial concealment also emphasizes layered clothing and the maid’s practical working dress. **References:** Rijksmuseum collection record; Metropolitan Museum of Art essay; Essential Vermeer catalogue entry.

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