Griet is a sixteen-year-old girl forced to work as a maid to support her family after her father is blinded in a kiln explosion. Raised in a strict Protestant household, she feels initially out of place in the wealthy, Catholic Vermeer home. She possesses a highly observant eye for color and order, making her uniquely suited to clean the artist's studio without disturbing his ongoing work.

An accomplished, methodical painter who demands absolute order in his studio. He struggles to produce paintings quickly enough to support his growing family and relies entirely on his mother-in-law's financial backing. Quiet and intensely focused, he recognizes Griet's unusual sensitivity to light and composition.

Vermeer's mercurial, frequently pregnant wife. She struggles to manage her large household and resents her exclusion from her husband's studio. Forbidden from entering the workspace due to her clumsiness and lack of artistic understanding, she channels her insecurity into strict control over her maids and possessions.

Catharina's practical, wealthy mother who provides the primary financial support for the Vermeer household. She acts as a shrewd business manager for her son-in-law's art career, understanding the necessities of his creative process far better than her own daughter does.

The handsome son of the local butcher. He takes an immediate romantic interest in Griet when she begins doing the Vermeer household shopping. He represents the stability and sustenance of the practical working-class world, offering a life entirely removed from the quiet intensity of the artist's studio.

A former tile painter who lost his livelihood and his sight in a devastating kiln explosion. His injury plunged his family into poverty, forcing his children into servitude and difficult apprenticeships. He relies heavily on Griet's descriptive abilities to experience colors and images again.

A pragmatic, stressed woman struggling to keep her family fed after her husband's accident. She pushes Griet to accept her lowly position as a maid and actively encourages Pieter the Son's courtship, knowing an alliance with a butcher's family will ensure they never go hungry.

Griet's younger sister who remains at home after Griet leaves for service. She struggles with the growing distance between them, feeling left behind as Griet becomes increasingly absorbed in the routines of the Vermeer household.

Griet's older brother, who works as an apprentice at a tile factory following their father's blinding accident. He works grueling hours and finds it emotionally and physically exhausting to visit home, contributing to the family's gradual separation.

The primary maid and cook for the Vermeer household. She is fiercely loyal to Catharina and highly protective of her position within the home. She initially mentors Griet but quickly becomes suspicious and demanding when Griet receives special tasks from Vermeer.

Vermeer and Catharina's six-year-old daughter. Malicious and highly perceptive, she constantly seeks ways to undermine Griet and cause trouble for her within the household, acting as an extension of her mother's unexpressed hostility.

The eldest Vermeer child. Unlike her sister Cornelia, she is friendly and well-behaved, often accompanying Griet on errands and serving as a surrogate for Griet's own younger sister, Agnes.

One of the middle Vermeer daughters who greets Griet upon her arrival to the Catholic section of Delft.

One of the younger Vermeer daughters, part of the chaotic but controlled domestic life that happens strictly outside her father's studio.

The youngest Vermeer child at the time Griet begins her employment, requiring constant care from the women in the house.

A scientifically minded friend of Vermeer who owns a camera obscura. He understands his friend's intense artistic focus and recognizes the potential emotional danger it poses to those drawn into the painter's orbit.

Vermeer's wealthy, entitled patron who buys the majority of his paintings. He holds immense financial power over the Vermeer household and directs predatory, lascivious attention toward young maids.

The wife of Vermeer's patron, who sits for one of his paintings. She possesses the ability to sit completely still and project an empty demeanor, fulfilling the decorative expectations of women in her social class.

The local butcher who runs a successful meat stall in the market square. He takes pride in his visceral trade, providing a sharp contrast to the spotless refinement of the artist's studio.