Why it matters
A woman holds an empty balance before a table with an open jewellery box, while a painting of the Last Judgment hangs behind her. Once called Woman Weighing Gold, it has been read as a vanitas, as a figure of the Virgin or as a call to lead a balanced life.
Did you know?
- It was painted around 1662–1663.
- Closer study showed that the balance is empty.
- The model may have been Vermeer's wife, Catharina.
Based on the Wikipedia article Woman Holding a Balance (CC BY-SA 4.0).
