Intent on her task, the kitchen maid pours milk from a jug. The composition radiates a quiet calm, the only movement being the flow of milk into the bowl. Its most exceptional feature is the rendering of light. The tiny dots representing the reflection of light - as in the br eadrolls on the table - are typical of Vermeer's technique. This painting is a high point within Vermeer's oeuvre. Of the thirty or so works he produced, four are in the Rijksmuseum.