In 2006, the Dutch public voted Girl with a Pearl Earring as the most beautiful painting in the Netherlands. Painted during the Dutch Golden Age by Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675), the picture depicts a strikingly beautiful girl in a blue and gold headscarf. Set against a black background, her face is illuminated by an unseen light, her large pearl earring is prominently displayed. This oil painting is held in Mauritshuis, the Hague, Netherlands.