Woman Holding a Balance

Johannes Vermeer1662–1665
Woman Holding a Balance by Johannes Vermeer. Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

About this painting

A woman in a blue jacket pauses near a table scattered with pearls and gold coins, holding an empty balance scale in her right hand. Light enters from a window to the left, illuminating her face in profile. Behind her hangs a Last Judgement painting, linking the earthly act of weighing to divine judgement. The work is widely read as an allegory of temperance and spiritual reflection.
Date
1662–1665
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
42.5 × 38 cm

Current location

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., United States