By Nina Heyn
It so happens that all four Vermeers that can be found in collections in London are about making music. The most elaborate of them is actually called The Music Lesson, acquired by King George III in 1762. This canvas spent about a hundred years misattributed to other Flemish artists (either Frans or Willem van Mieris), but it was eventually identified as a Vermeer in 1862. As part of the Royal Collection, it does not leave Buckingham Palace for exhibitions—you have to go and see it. I did just that this fall.
