01/05/17 - In the mid 20th Century, Lawrence Gowing created the term "paintings with pearls" to name the group of artworks Johannes Vermeer painted between 1662 and 1665. In different scenarios, Vermeer painted beautiful women wearing the main symbol of status in the 17th Century: pearls.  Those little round objects were associated with the virtues of purity and chastity because of their whiteness and brightness. The pearl earrings were very expensive, specially if the pearls were genuine. In Vermeer's paintings, the size of the pearls was always exaggerated. In "A Lady Writing", a young girl uses a pair of pearl earrings and, on her desk, there's a necklace, a metal box and an inkwell. All those elements help create an elegant setting. The lady is also holding a quill, as if she was about to write a letter, possibly a love one. This was not common around that time, since few women were able to write and most of them were illiterate. This painting not only shows the elegance of the household but also the status of the woman.