$100,000,000 Date

Jenny and I recently visited The National Gallery of Art, in downtown D.C. As we toured the beautiful building and saw all kinds of treasures, we found ourselves back in some tucked away corner of the West Building. There was a small crowd of people in a little room, gathered closely around a few small paintings. As we approached, a guard proudly informed us that we were looking at four of only thirty-five paintings of the famous Johannes Vermeer. The guard then told us, nearly in a whisper, that just one of these paintings was worth somewhere close to $100,000,000!! Imagine our surprise - no, shock! In that tiny room, we were standing amidst multiple hundreds of millions of dollars!

We crowded close to see, and what we saw was indeed beautiful (apparently Vermeer was a master with his use of light), but could it be worth all that much? We pretended what it would be like if the museum decided to just give us one of the paintings. What would we do with it? Hang it somewhere in our basement apartment? Display for all to see? It would make such a conversation starter. "Oh yes, why that painting is from Bed, Bath and Beyond, we paid $50 for it! But over here, you'll find an actual 18th century masterpiece; a Vermeer original!" No, that wouldn't do. We figured the most beneficial thing to do (for us, the painting, and the public at large) would be to sell it to a museum (maybe for a discounted price).

1. National Gallery of Art
2. Vermeer - Girl with the Red Hat  
3. Vermeer - Girl with a Flute
   
4. Vermeer - Women Holding a Balance 
   
5. Vermeer - A Lady Writing   
6. Rearing Horse and Mounted Warrior - attributed to Da Vinci
   

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