The girl with a pearl earring" finally finds her way to America: sometimes called the "Dutch Mona Lisa," this is one of only 36 known paintings by Johannes Vermeer and rarely travels outside the Netherlands.

• Position: Museums Today

"GIRL WITH A pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the "Mauritshuis"--a selection of works from the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague--is making its North American debut; it includes 35 paintings from the collection, including the renowned "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (c. 1665) by Johannes Vermeer, "The Goldfinch" (1654) by Carel Fabritius, and four works by Rembrandt van Rijn. Highlighting the spectacular artistic achievements of the Dutch Golden Age, these works reflect the culture of artistic, economic, and technological innovation that allowed the Netherlands to prosper in the 17th century.

The painting at the center of the exhibition sometimes is called the "Dutch Mona Lisa." It is one of only 36 known paintings by the artist and rarely travels outside the Netherlands. Though little is known about Vermeer's life, the quiet grace and virtuoso technique evident in his paintings and, in particular, his rendering of light have placed him among the most important artists of the 1600s. Many of the details of his technique can be appreciated only through close examination of the painting surface, such as the few tiny brushstrokes that indicate the reflection on the pearl, and the broader, more expressive painting of her ultramarine and yellow turban.

During the Dutch Golden Age, a significant shift occurred in the technique of painting and subject matter, particularly as secular subjects began to replace religious themes. Portraiture increasingly focused on ordinary people, like the individual depicted in Rembrandt's "Portrait of an Elderly Man" (1667). The sitter seems not to be posed, but presented in a matter-of-fact way that differs from the idealized formality of traditional portraiture.

"The hierarchical social structure in other European countries no longer monopolized art production in the Netherlands," says Lynn Orr, curator in charge of European Art at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "As the middle class prospered, an unprecedented market for portraiture developed. Successful individuals, marrried couples, and civic leaders wanted likenesses to pass on to posterity."

Like the more relaxed approach to portraiture, the paintings known as genre scenes also mirrored life as it actually was lived in the Netherlands. These often depicted some aspect of everyday life, like informal musical performances or simple domestic activities. Jan Steen's 'The Oyster Eatel' (c. 1659) is an example of telling a story using a domestic...