   
Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance (detail), c. 1664, National Gallery of Art, Widener CollectionIn the 1660s Vermeer painted pearls in two layers: first a thin, diffused grayish glaze, followed by a thick stroke on top to create a specular highlight. He may have experimented with a camera obscura to achieve these optical effects. Other works by Vermeer also may have been enhanced by this forerunner of the modern camera.
 
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