In his 2013 book Vermeer's Family Secrets: Genius, Discovery, and the Unknown Apprentice, Benjamin Binstock made an extensive case that Vermeer's eldest child Maria (born 1654) is the author of this and several other "misfit" Vermeer paintings. The National Gallery of Art's 2022 report noted that "While it is conceivable that Maria received instruction from her father and produced paintings in his manner while still in her late teens, prior to her marriage in 1674, the absence of proof to the contrary does not constitute support for Binstock's provocative suggestion."
