The Woman with the Pearl Earing

Oil on canvas

50cm x 71cm, 20”x28”

The lore surrounding pearls is vast and diverse.

Some cultures believed pearls were formed in the teeth of dragons, others believed they were created when the full moon bathed in the  ocean. One of my favourite myths suggests that the most perfect pearls were made from the tears of mermaids.
 

Scientifically, we know these flights of fancy to be untrue, but the romanticism surrounding these organic gems has not worn off.