You buy from the studio that paints it — no gallery markup, no reseller margin. Final quote depends on size, frame and destination.
Price by canvas size
Every The Milkmaid we paint is made to order, so the price tracks the canvas size and the amount of brushwork involved. These are the sizes our customers order most:
| Size (inches) | Size (cm) | Estimated price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 × 20 in | 40 × 50 cm | $369 | A kitchen nook, a gallery group |
| 24 × 32 in | 60 × 80 cm | $649 | Above a console, hallway, dining corner |
| 35 × 47 in | 90 × 120 cm | $1,099 | Above a sofa or sideboard, living room |
| 47 × 63 in | 120 × 160 cm | $1,499 | Large dining room, restaurant, hospitality |
Estimates only — the final quote depends on your exact size, frame and shipping destination. Framing and shipping are quoted separately. Duties and import taxes are the buyer's responsibility (DAP).
Tell us your size and frame — we reply with an exact quote, usually within the hour.
💬 Get a The Milkmaid Quote on WhatsAppWhy a print cannot do this painting
Look at the bread and the basket: the crusts are built up with lead-white impasto, tiny dabs standing off the canvas that catch the light from the window. Everything on the shadowed side is thin and transparent; everything facing the light is thick. That difference in paint thickness is what makes the stillness feel physical.
Printing destroys it completely — impasto becomes a slightly lighter patch of beige. Painted by hand, the crusts genuinely stand off the surface, and the blue of the skirt stays the deep, granular ultramarine Vermeer used rather than a flat navy.
There is a test we encourage buyers to use on any "oil painting" they are offered: run a fingernail very gently across the surface. A hand-painted canvas feels like terrain. A print feels like glass.
The painting itself
Painted around 1660 and now in the Rijksmuseum, it is one of only about thirty-four surviving Vermeers. He was a slow painter who used the most expensive pigments available, and the yellow of the bodice and the blue of the skirt are the two colours he is most associated with.
The painter's problem here is the light. It comes from one side and it has to be consistent across the figure, the table and the wall — inconsistent light is the giveaway in a bad copy. We build it in the same order: toned ground, thin shadow passes, then the impasto highlights last.
How our painters reproduce it
Our studio is in Dafen Oil Painting Village, Shenzhen — the centre of hand-painted oil reproduction for more than thirty years. A The Milkmaid here is not traced, projected or transferred. The painter works freehand from a high-resolution reference, in layers:
- Composition and ground. The canvas is toned and the main forms laid out in a thin underpainting, matching the original proportions to your chosen size.
- Colour build-up. The palette is mixed in oil, not acrylic — only oil gives the same depth, slow blending and the slightly translucent glow the original depends on.
- Impasto and surface passes. The signature strokes go on last, loaded with paint, following the direction of the original's brushwork. This is the slowest and most skilful stage.
- Drying and inspection. Layered oil needs days to set properly. We let it. Then the finished canvas is checked against the reference for colour, composition and stroke character.
Where it hangs best
A single figure, a window on the left, and light that turns bread crust into sculpture. Rooms our customers choose most often:
- Kitchen or dining room — the subject suits the room it hangs in
- Living room — warm yellow and deep blue anchor a neutral scheme
- Study — a calm, undemanding image to sit beside
- Hospitality — restaurant, café and boutique hotel dining spaces
Framing
Choose gold to echo the original's warmth, matte black for a contemporary room, walnut for a traditional interior, or no frame at all as a gallery-wrap canvas ready to hang. Frames are quoted separately and packed with corner protection.
How ordering works
- Tell us the painting, size and frame. WhatsApp is fastest — include a wall photo if you want sizing advice.
- Get an exact quote. Usually within the hour, with the timeline confirmed in writing.
- 70% deposit starts the painting. Paid by bank transfer, PayPal, credit card or Wise.
- We send photographs of the finished painting. You review it before anything ships. If something clearly does not match your order notes, tell us and we adjust it.
- Pay the 30% balance, then we ship. Tracked worldwide courier, rolled in a rigid tube or crated if framed.
FAQ
Is this hand-painted or printed?
100% hand-painted in oil on artist canvas by a studio painter in Dafen. No printing, no transfer, no giclée. You can feel the brushwork on the surface.
How much does it cost?
Est. $369–$1499 depending on canvas size, from 16 × 20 in up to 47 × 63 in. Frame and shipping quoted separately.
Can I order a size that is not on the list?
Yes — any size. The painter works freehand on a blank canvas, so we can also crop the composition slightly to fit your wall proportions.
How do I approve it before shipping?
We send photographs of the finished painting. You approve first, then pay the 30% balance and we ship. If something clearly does not match your order notes, tell us and we adjust it before it leaves.
How long does it take?
Most take 2–4 weeks depending on size and the studio queue. Layered oil needs proper drying time. The timeline is confirmed in writing before any deposit.
Who pays import duty?
Shipping is worldwide and tracked, typically DHL or FedEx, quoted separately. Import duties and taxes in your country are the buyer's responsibility (DAP).
Ready to commission a real The Milkmaid? Send the size and frame — quote back within the hour.
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