His works have prompted a New York Times bestseller a film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth record visitor numbers at art institutions from Amsterdam to Washington, DC and special crowd-control measures at the Mauritshuis, The Hague, wh ere thousands flock to catch a glimpse of the enigmatic and enchanting Girl with a Pearl Earring, also known as the "Dutch Mona Lisa".In his lifetime, however, the fame of Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) barely extended beyond his native Delft and a sma ll circle of patrons