Is this Vermeer’s Greatest Painting?

The ineffable perfection of a View of Delft

View of Delft (c.1661) by Johannes Vermeer. Mauritshuis museum, The Hague, Netherlands. Image source Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

The Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer is best known for his superbly arranged interior scenes. But occasionally the artist would paint outdoor subjects too. One such painting, titled View of Delft, may well be one of the best paintings he made during his lifetime.