Maps of Movies

Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Where Girl with a Pearl Earring says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The story is set in Delft, but almost none of it was shot there: the house is a soundstage in Luxembourg.

Scenes and places

Griet stops at the compass on the bridge (1665)

Sent to work as a maid because her blind father can no longer support the family, Griet walks into Delft alone. She pauses on a bridge at a compass before stepping into the household that will change her life.

Set in Canal bridge to the market square, Delft — The canal bridge with a compass, on the way to the market square.

A bridge with a compass on the way into the market square of Delft.

The market and the butcher's son (1665)

On her first shopping run, Griet is taken to the butcher's stall and introduced by Tanneke. Pieter, the butcher's son, teases her and is drawn to her, while she answers with few words.

Set in Market Square, Delft — Delft's market square, where Griet buys meat for the household and meets Pieter. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The market square and town hall of Delft, the heart of the town in the film's world.

Filmed at Market Place and Town Hall, Delft — Listed as a filming location in Delft; the exact scene is not stated in the source. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Vermeer's studio and the camera obscura (1665)

Griet cleans the studio and Vermeer starts to talk to her. He shows her the camera obscura and teaches her to see colours in clouds and to grind pigments, a secret kept from his wife.

Set in Vermeer's studio, Delft — Johannes Vermeer's upstairs studio, which his wife never enters.

A set built to feel observed: a three-storey house on a soundstage.

Van Ruijven closes in (1665)

Van Ruijven, the wealthy patron, watches Griet and strikes a bargain that Vermeer will paint her. Fending him off in the courtyard, Griet is warned that the studio will cost her her place.

Set in Van Ruijven's circle and the courtyard, Delft — The courtyard where the patron corners Griet.

The patron's world, built as a separate set with mounted animals to show his predatory nature.

The earring sitting (1665)

Vermeer asks Griet to wear a pearl earring so the picture balances. She says her ears are not pierced, and at the last session he pierces her ear so she can wear it.

Set in Vermeer's studio, Delft — The studio where Vermeer paints Griet with the pearl earring.

The same studio set, lit differently from the rest of the house.

The real painting (1665)

The film ends on the real canvas. It is shown through a high-resolution photograph of the painting that the Mauritshuis supplied.

Set in Mauritshuis, The Hague — The Hague museum that holds the real Girl with a Pearl Earring. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A museum in The Hague that holds the painting; the film did not shoot there.

Filmed at Royal Palace, Dam Square, Amsterdam — Scene not stated in the source Google Maps · Apple Maps

Characters

• Griet — A shy 17th-century girl sent to Delft to work as a maid in Vermeer's household.
• Johannes Vermeer — The Delft painter who makes Griet his assistant while he paints the portrait.
• Pieter — A butcher's son drawn to Griet.
• Pieter van Ruijven — Vermeer's rich patron, who notices Griet.