Vermeer's Guitar Player and Its Copy Face Off at Kenwood House

Kenwood House in London is staging 'Double Vision', an exhibition that places Johannes Vermeer's 'The Guitar Player' (1672) alongside an unsigned replica from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The show, open until January 11, 2026, marks the 350th anniversary of Vermeer's death and is the first direct comparison of the two works. The original, part of Kenwood's collection since 1927, depicts a young woman playing guitar with loose curls. The Philadelphia version shows her with a braided bun and lacks a signature. Long considered a copy, its origins remain unknown. Recent research by a multidisciplinary team in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art in Washington has revealed differences in preparatory layers and pigments: Vermeer used costly ultramarine blue, while the copy employed cheaper indigo. The exhibition aims to stimulate debate and contribute to Vermeer studies, coinciding with other 2025 celebrations such as the recently closed show at the Frick Collection in New York.