Image: public domain, courtesy of Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Woman Holding a Balance

Johannes Vermeer, c. 1664

The woman holds a small balance with empty pans, perfectly level, in the soft light from a window. Behind her hangs a painting of the Last Judgment, so the scene may be about weighing our choices in life.

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Did you know?

Look for a mirror hanging on the wall by the window, an old symbol of vanity in Dutch paintings.
The lines of the room's perspective meet exactly at her fingertip that holds the balance.
Infrared scans show that Vermeer moved the balance and made it bigger while he was painting.
Vermeer painted each pearl in two steps: first a thin grey glaze, then a single thick dab of paint.
In 1826 it was sold in Munich from the estate of the King of Bavaria, labelled as a work by Gabriel Metsu.
The American collector Peter Widener bought it in 1911, and his son gave it to the National Gallery in 1942.

About the artist

Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) was born in Delft and spent his whole life in that Dutch town.

He is famous for quiet, light-filled interiors such as The Milkmaid and Girl with a Pearl Earring, and only about 35 of his paintings are known today.

He worked slowly and lovingly on each picture, and at home he and his wife Catharina had a big, lively family of eleven children.

Johannes Vermeer ›

Where it is today: Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington · Museum page