Could Facial Recognition Technology ID the “Girl With a Pearl Earring”?

“Who is it?” is often as big a question for art historians as “Who done it?” The mysterious model of many a famous painting—perhaps none so mysterious as the Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer (shown above)—can turn many an art buff into an amateur sleuth. Now the amateurs can go pro with the latest in facial recognition technology. Technology developed to catch terrorists can now be used to put (perhaps famous) names to famous faces. According to an article in The Independent, a team at the University of California is doing a “feasibility study” to determine just how well facial recognition software can be used by art historians, and they have a $25,000 NEH grant to help. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "Could Facial Recognition Technology ID the 'GirlWith a Pearl Earring'?"

[Image: Johannes Vermeer. Girl with a Pearl Earring (detail), 1665.]