Green tablecloth

**A dark platform for light.** The green tablecloth covers the heavy table and creates a deep tonal base for the still life. Against this dark ground, Vermeer can intensify the light on bread, bowl, cloth, and jug. The table also projects into the viewer’s space, a compositional device that makes the humble food feel monumental and immediately present. **References:** Rijksmuseum collection record; Metropolitan Museum of Art essay; H. Sato, _Journal for Geometry and Graphics_ 25, no. 1, on perspective and spatial organization.

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