“Woman Holding a Balance” is an oil on canvas painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, created around 1665. This artwork belongs to the Baroque period and is considered a genre painting. It measures 42 by 35.5 cm and is currently housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, United States.
The painting depicts an interior domestic scene featuring a quietly composed woman holding a balance before her. She is dressed in a blue jacket trimmed with ermine and a crisp white headdress that reflects the light softly illuminating her face and breeding an atmosphere of tranquility and introspection. Vermeer’s mastery of light is evident in the way it streams through the window and dances across various surfaces in the room. To her back, a large painting—possibly depicting the Last Judgment—adds a dimension of spiritual contemplation to the literal act of weighing depicted. The woman’s poise and the exquisite detail, characteristic of Vermeer’s work, suggest a moment frozen in time, inviting viewers to ponder the delicate balance between the material and spiritual realms. The use of chiaroscuro and the intimate nature of the scene are typical elements of the Baroque genre, encapsulating a moment of everyday life imbued with deeper meaning.
