That is definitely a metaphor :)
The lines that use a simile in this excerpt are "Thus while he spoke the blue-eyed maid began With pleasing smiles to view the godlike man" as it compares the maid's actions to a simile.
Metaphor
Yes, there is a simile in "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett. An example of a simile from the book is "Blue as a bruise" used to describe a character's eyes.
As blue as the oceans depths
Blue can be used metaphorically to represent feelings of sadness or melancholy, as in "feeling blue," but it does not inherently function as a metaphor without context.
The buttons are BLUE!
Eyes as blue as saphires
Blue Boy Bachelor's Buttons grow three feet tall.
100years
Yes
Which tiny blue button are you searching for? There are several 'tiny, blue buttons' on iMovie. Open the program and you will see that Start, Preview etc, all have tiny blue buttons.
as blue as sea