Girl with a Pearl Earring is an oil painting by Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch artist from the Golden Age. The painting depicts a young woman in an exotic dress and a large pearl earring in a dark space. It's considered one of Vermeer's most well-known works and is permanently housed in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague. The painting is actually a "tronie", which is a painting of an imaginary figure that represents a specific character or type.