Woman Holding a Balance [SEP] creator
Woman Holding a Balance
Woman Holding a Balance, also called Woman Testing a Balance, is an oil painting by Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes Vermeer.
At one time the painting, completed 1662–1663, was known as Woman Weighing Gold, but closer evaluation has determined that the balance in her hand is empty. Opinions on the theme and symbolism of the painting differ, with the woman alternatively viewed as a symbol of holiness or earthliness.
Theme.
In the painting, Vermeer has depicted a young woman holding an
trimmed with fur, suggests that she is the wife of a wealthy money-lender. It is a picture of rare beauty. Canvas, 24 inches by 21 1/2 inches. Sales, (Probably) Beckford, London, 1823 (£30:9s., Evans). Brun of Geneva, Paris, November 30, 1841, No. 20 (865 francs)."
The composition is strongly related to Vermeer's "Woman Holding a Balance".
References.
- "Woman Holding a Balance",