You’re standing on a dimly lit boat. The air smells like incense and old paper. Jolly Redd is grinning at you, trying to offload a masterpiece for about 5,000 Bells. It’s the quaint painting animal crossing fans have obsessed over since the GameCube days. You look at the woman pouring milk. Is she pouring a lot? A little? Honestly, if you mess this up, you’re stuck with a "forgery" that even Timmy and Tommy won’t touch with a ten-foot pole.
Blathers needs this for the museum. You need it for your island rating.
But Redd is a scammer. That’s his whole brand. The quaint painting is actually based on a real-world masterpiece titled The Milkmaid, painted by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer around 1658. In the world of New Horizons, this piece is one of the trickiest to verify because the difference between a genuine work of art and a total fake is literally a few drops of liquid.
The Milkmaid Mystery: Spotting the Fake Quaint Painting
The secret is in the pour.
In the real The Milkmaid (and the genuine version in Animal Crossing), the woman is pouring a very thin, delicate stream of milk from her jug. It’s precise. It’s subtle. If you’re looking at the quaint painting animal crossing version and you see a massive, thick glug of white liquid rushing out of that pitcher, you are looking at a fake. Redd is trying to pull a fast one on you.
Vermeer was known for his incredible use of light. If you look at the original painting in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the light hits the bread on the table and the texture of the woman’s yellow bodice in a way that feels almost photographic. The fake version in the game doesn't just mess up the milk; it loses that "soul" that makes Vermeer's work so hauntingly beautiful.
Most players just squint at the screen until their eyes hurt. Don't do that. Just look at the volume of the milk.
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Thin stream? Buy it.
Waterfall of milk? Walk away.
Why the Quaint Painting Matters for Your Museum
If you’ve ever wondered why Blathers gets so hyped about a small painting of a woman making bread pudding, it’s because Vermeer is kind of a big deal. He only has about 35 known paintings in existence. That’s it. To have one on your island—even a digital one—is a flex.
The museum’s art wing is empty and depressing without these contributions. When you donate the genuine quaint painting animal crossing edition, Blathers will give you a little blurb about how the artist was a master of "Genre Painting." Basically, that's just a fancy way of saying he liked painting regular people doing regular stuff, rather than kings or gods.
Getting it from Redd (The Hard Way)
Redd’s Treasure Trawler shows up on your secret beach at the back of the island. He’s not there every day. Sometimes he’s not there for weeks. This scarcity is what makes the art market in the game so frustrating.
You can also find the quaint painting at the permanent stalls on Harv’s Island. If you’ve spent the 100,000 Bells to fund Redd’s shop there, you get a rotating selection of two pieces of art. This is actually a much better way to farm for the quaint painting animal crossing completionists need. If he has two fakes, buy one anyway. This forces the inventory to cycle, and tomorrow, he might just have the real Milkmaid waiting for you.
The "Haunted" Rumors and Forgery Details
There’s a weird subculture of Animal Crossing players who actually prefer the fakes. Why? Because some of them are haunted.
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Unfortunately, the quaint painting isn't one of the ones that changes at night. Unlike the Wistful Painting (where the girl's eyes close) or the Ancient Statue (which floats), the fake quaint painting just sits there being wrong. It’s a dud. You can’t even sell it to the Nooks. You have to pay a fee to dispose of it in a trash can or go to a Mystery Island and dump it there like a criminal.
Interestingly, the fake quaint painting animal crossing version has been a staple of the series for a long time. In New Leaf, the fake was even more obvious because the woman was wearing a massive hat that she shouldn't have been wearing. Nintendo keeps changing the "tell" for these forgeries, which keeps us on our toes.
Comparing the Quaint Painting to Other Vermeers
Vermeer actually has three appearances in Animal Crossing:
- Quaint Painting (The Milkmaid)
- Wistful Painting (Girl with a Pearl Earring)
- Fancy Painting (The Girl Gallant) - Note: This was in older games like Wild World and City Folk.
If you’re trying to build a "classic" room in your house, the quaint painting is the cornerstone. It’s cozy. It’s rustic. It’s exactly what the name implies: quaint.
What to Do Once You Have the Real Version
Once you’ve successfully avoided Redd's scam and secured the genuine article, you have a choice.
Most people give it to Blathers immediately. But honestly? The quaint painting looks incredible in a kitchen setup. If you’re going for that "farmhouse aesthetic" or a "cottagecore" vibe, keep the painting for yourself. You can always get another one for the museum later.
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If you’re feeling generous, you can also trade it. The Animal Crossing trading economy is still alive and well on sites like Nookazon. A real quaint painting animal crossing piece can often be traded for Nook Miles Tickets or those elusive gold nuggets.
Actionable Steps for Art Collectors
If you're tired of being cheated by a fox in a green apron, follow this specific workflow to finish your collection:
- Visit Harv’s Island daily. This is non-negotiable. It’s the fastest way to cycle through Redd’s inventory.
- Use the Camera App. When you’re in Redd’s boat, open your NookPhone camera and zoom in. The default view is often too far away to see the milk stream clearly.
- Check the back. In New Horizons, real paintings have a "Certificate of Authenticity" (a small piece of paper) stuck to the back of the canvas. You can see this if you display the painting and rotate it. If the back is blank, it's a fake.
- Don't ignore the fakes entirely. While the quaint painting fake is useless, keeping a "trash can" furniture item nearby is essential for getting rid of your mistakes without losing Bells.
The quaint painting animal crossing hunt is a test of patience. It’s about the details. It’s about not letting a shady fox take your hard-earned Bells. Go check your secret beach, zoom in on that pitcher, and make sure that milk is a trickle, not a flood.
Once you nail the identification, you’re one step closer to that gold museum plaque.
Expert Insight: Remember that the "back of the painting" trick only works after you've already bought the item and placed it in your home. It won't help you while you're standing in the Trawler. For the Trawler visit, your only weapon is your eyes and the zoom lens. Look for the thin pour. If the milk looks like it's coming out of a firehose, leave it for the next sucker.