Woman Holding a Balance — About This Work
Johannes Vermeer, c. 1664
About the Work
Woman Holding a Balance shows a young woman standing before a table, gently holding a small balance in her right hand. She appears to wait for it to settle, creating a moment of extraordinary stillness and concentration. Diffused light entering from the left softens the room and catches her hand, the balance and the folds of her clothing.
The table before her contains pearls and other valuables, while behind her hangs a painting of the Last Judgment. That juxtaposition has long encouraged viewers to read the scene as more than a domestic interior. Material possessions, judgment and the act of weighing are brought together within a composition that is deliberately calm rather than didactic.
Vermeer holds these elements in careful equilibrium. The woman's pose, the geometry of the room and the restrained light all contribute to a sense of balance both visual and psychological. The result is a painting whose quiet surface opens onto larger questions of value, judgment and self-possession.
The Work
Artist: Johannes Vermeer
Title: Woman Holding a Balance
Date: c. 1664
Medium: Oil on canvas
Recorded dimensions: painted surface 39.7 cm high × 35.5 cm wide
Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington
Accession number: 1942.9.97
Print & Presentation
Palatine presentation: 40 × 50 cm portrait frame.
The complete artwork is reproduced at its recorded scale, without enlargement, reduction, cropping or distortion. The surrounding white presentation area accommodates the artwork within the framed presentation and is incorporated into the print rather than added as a separate mount.
Frame finishes: Black, White or Natural.
Paper & glazing: Enhanced Matte + Perspex; Enhanced Matte + Moth-Eye.
Why Original Scale?
Most art-print shops offer the same image in a choice of Small, Medium and Large sizes. We take a different approach. For each edition, we begin with the recorded dimensions of the original work and reproduce the complete image at that scale, preserving its proportions and avoiding enlargement, reduction, cropping or distortion.
Source: National Gallery of Art, Washington. Digital image: Google Art Project / Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
Care: Display in a dry interior away from prolonged direct sunlight and sources of moisture.
Notes from Palatine
If you would like to stay with us, Notes from Palatine is an occasional letter about newly added works, artists and the thinking behind the collection. There is no fixed schedule; we write when there is something worth sharing.
Palatine Editions · Original Scale Editions · palatineeditions.com