In 1631, the year before Johannes was born, his father joined the St. Luke's Guild as a picture dealer. In 1653 he registered as a master painter with the St. Luke’s Guild and had inherited Reynier’s art-dealing business the previous year. West Building "[3] Some viewers have imagined the woman is weighing her valuables, while others compare her actions to Christ's, reading parable into the pearls. Sale Amsterdam, 1701. This piece of art is formed from blue, gray, white, and yellow colors giving it a harmonious act to it. The woman in the image is pregnant which creates a sense holiness to the eyes of the viewer. Jan Steen, Feast of St. Nicholas. The West Building will reopen on Friday, May 14! In fact, it is possible to find a number of important details in the painting. The artist would have been 24 at the time. The woman’s deep introspection causes the viewer momentary hesitation about intruding on this private, contemplative moment. [8], Completed in 1662 or 1663, the painting was previously called Woman Weighing Gold before microscopic evaluation confirms that the balance in her hands is empty. [14], Woman holding a balance by Johannes Vermeer, "Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance", "Johannes Vermeer, 'Woman Holding a Balance, The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used As a Table, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Woman_Holding_a_Balance&oldid=1009930504, Collections of the National Gallery of Art, Wikipedia articles with RKDID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 3 March 2021, at 00:47. Dutch Paintings of the 17th Century, National Gallery of Art Woman Holding a Balance is an allegorical scene that urges us to conduct our lives with temperance and moderation. Image source National Gallery of Art (Open Access image) At the very centre of this painting, a woman holds a pair of weighing scales in one hand. Soft light coming through the window illuminates the scene. The jeweler’s balance in her right hand rests at equilibrium. She obviously waits when they balance out and then she will weigh something. Teaching Resource A large painting of the Last Judgment, framed in black, hangs on the back wall of the room. Johannes Vermeer’s “Woman Holding a Balance” exhibit consists of that single art piece, which was created in 1664 with oil on canvas. Johannes Vermeer, The Procuress (De koppelaarster), 1656
. Here you can see why his rediscoverers called him a master artist. Vermeer’s oeuvre was small; only about 35 authentic paintings are known today. Woman Holding a Balance (The Goldweigher) By Jan Vermeer. She wears a blue winter jacket with white fur, a white head covering, and a long yellow/orange skirt. [10] It received 155 guilders, considerably above the prices fetched at the time for his Girl Asleep at a Table (62) and The Officer and the Laughing Girl (approximately 44), but somewhat below The Milkmaid (177). The painting is of a woman holding a balance that is used for weighing objects and symbolizing justice. While generally accepted as an allegory, Woman Holding a Balance has been interpreted in many ways. The painter depicts a woman holding scales. 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. The subsequent technical investigations of the painting by Robert L. Feller (1974) and M.E. Related Works by Vermeer in the Collection, Johannes Vermeer, A Lady Writing, c. 1665, oil on canvas, Gift of Harry Waldron Havemeyer and Horace Havemeyer, Jr., in memory of their father, Horace Havemeyer, 1962.10.1, Attributed to Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Flute, probably 1665/1675, oil on panel, Widener Collection, 1942.9.98, Johannes Vermeer, Girl with the Red Hat, c. 1665/1666, oil on panel, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.53. Behind the woman is a painting of the Last Judgment featuring Christ with raised, outstretched hands. The Art Work Comparison Artist Jan Vermeer Completed from 1662-1663 Dutch Baroque Artist was Johannes Vermeer Oil on Canvas The tenebrism that creates an extreme lighting situation and the "in the moment" scene is a characteristic of the Baroque period that the painting is from. Poised between the earthly treasures of gold and pearls before her and Last Judgment painting’s stark reminder of the eternal consequences of her actions, this woman personifies the values of materialism and morality that jostled for dominance in 17th-century Dutch society. The full pigment analysis according to the latest data is illustrated at Colourlex. It is possible that the young man pictured at the left could be Vermeer’s self-portrait, although there has been no written evidence to confirm it. Stay up to date about our exhibitions, news, programs, and special offers. Woman Holding a Balance, Johannes Vermeer - AP Art History.pdf from ART 2050 at St. Johns River State College. [1] The woman may have been modeled on Vermeer's wife, Catharina Vermeer. B. National Gallery of Art, Washington. The proper pigment of the yellow curtain is lead-tin-yellow. For Woman Holding a Balance is overtly allegorical. The woman appears to be pregnant as her dress is protruding. Vermeer created a number of noteworthy works among which “Woman Holding a Balance” is one of the most interesting works. 7th St and Constitution Ave NW Oil on canvas. He skillfully uses light to bring our attention to the woman waiting for the balance to come to a rest. [1] Some art critics, including John Michael Montias who describes her as "symbolically weighing unborn souls", have seen the woman as a figure of Mary. A pregnant woman stands in front of a table while holding a balance. Saint Ignatius of Loyola instructed the faithful to examine their consciences and weigh their sins as if facing Judgment Day. Woman Holding a Balance (c. 1664) by Johannes Vermeer. Woman Holding a Balance, 1662 by Johannes Vermeer. Woman Holding a Balance has a distinguished provenance that can be traced in a virtually unbroken line back to the seventeenth century. Woman Holding a Balance 1662-63 Oil on canvas, 42,5 x 38 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington: Signature: Not signed. Recently I was commissioned to copy Woman Holding a Balance by Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). Seen as one of the Greatest Paintings Ever, and an important work of Protestant Reformation art of the 17th century. Lisa Vergara, "Perspectives on Women in the Art of Vermeer," 2001. vermeer: woman holding a balance This 5 page paper analyzes this painting by Jan Vermeer. She obviously waits when they balance out and then she will weigh something. Click Image to view detail. This realistic piece of art shows a woman holding a balance, seemingly lost in her thoughts. In April 1653 he married a Catholic, Catharina Bolnes, whose mother, Maria Thins, exerted significant influence over the couple’s lives. The sample investigated by H. Kühn in 1968 was unfortunately taken from this extension. "Owing to the intimate nature of Vermeer's art, there has been an inclination to link the painter's … 4th St and Constitution Ave NW His Woman Holding a Balance, an oil painting circa 1664, now in the Widener Collection of the National Gallery of Art, is typical of his style during the later period of his oeuvre. The woman’s gaze at the balance, when considered in the context of the Last Judgment on the wall behind her, suggests that Vermeer, a Catholic, sought to infuse this work with religious and spiritual significance. Practice: Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance. View 92. She is finely dressed in a fur-lined jacket. Note that the bottom of the Last Judgment’s frame is slightly higher to the left of the woman than it is behind her back. © 2021 National Gallery of Art   Notices   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy, Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, 1664, Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century, Johannes Vermeer's Woman Holding a Balance. C. This is a religious piece of art. Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, 1664, oil on canvas, 42.5 cm × 38 cm / 16.7″ × 15″ (National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.) Additional resources. A woman dressed in a blue jacket with fur trim stands serenely at a table in a corner of a room. He was respected in artistic circles and elected headman of the Delft artists’ guild on several occasions. conversation. Nonetheless, in later years, he struggled financially, raising 11 children and also coping with the economic downturn in the 1670s after France invaded the Netherlands. Analysis of “Woman Holding a Balance” “Woman Holding a Balance” is an oil painting that was painted in the year 1664 by Johannes Vermeer. Woman Holding a Balance is one of this series of Vermeer’s studies of women depicted in Dutch domestic interiors, many of them posed and painted in the same room on the upper level of his home in Delft. Provenance: The painting may be identical with one sold at Amsterdam in 1696, no. She is likely to have required Vermeer, born a Reformed Protestant, to convert to Catholicism. AP Art History Search this site Home III. Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring. Nonetheless, he produced relatively few paintings and evidently was not wealthy, leaving his wife and children in debt at his death. The enthusiastic descriptions of the work in sales catalogues as well as in critics’ assessments attest to its extraordinary appeal to each and every generation. Description In the painting, Vermeer has depicted, what discreetly appears to be a young pregnant woman holding an empty balance before a table on which stands an open jewelry box, the pearls and gold within spilling over. Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, A moment captured, slideshow, National Gallery Washington, slide 10. This is the currently selected item. References. Woman Holding a Balance offers a superb example of Johannes Vermeer ’s exquisite sense of order and rhythm. Image © 2004 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Widener Collection; photograph, Richard Carafelli. The painting that Vermeer placed in the background is “The last Judgement” by Jacob de Backer which depicts Jesus Christ in heaven with extended arms. In all probability, it will be gold coins or other jewels that may be seen on the table near the woman. By the mid-1650s, however, he had turned to domestic scenes and had begun to express his interest in various techniques and devices that could aid him in creating lifelike effects. Her head is slightly tilted to the left, and she looks down at the balance in her right hand. The woman stands between a depiction of the Last Judgment hung in a heavy black frame and a table covered with jewelry representing material possessions. In this interpretation, the mirror on the wall reflects the woman's self-knowledge. “Woman Holding a Balance” I. Vermeer created this piece of art as a woman holding a balance with her right hand. This painting at the National Gallery of Art. In all probability, it will be gold coins or other jewels that may be seen on the table near the woman. Staatliche Kunstsammlungen 
Alte Meister (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister), Dresden. The work of the Dutch master is also known as “Evaluation of the measures.”. Download a digital image of this work, Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664, oil on canvas, Widener Collection, 1942.9.97. Ruisdael, View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds. One of Vermeers most famous paintings is Woman Holding a Balance, painted in 1664 and now hanging in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Johannes Vermeer is today one of the most famous European artists of all time. Sculpture Garden She looks at the pan that holds in his right hand, the left leaning on the countertop. A blue cloth rests in the left foreground, beneath a mirror, and a window to the left — unseen save its golden curtain — provides light. Johannes and Catharina eventually moved into Maria’s house. The device exaggerated spatial effects, and the projected image was probably not sharply focused. The jeweler’s balance in her right hand rests at equilibrium. Woman Holding a Balance (Dutch: Vrouw met weegschaal), also called Woman Testing a Balance, is an oil painting by Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer, now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. [11], The first pigment analysis of this painting by Hermann Kühn[12] revealed the use of ultramarine for the blue tablecloth and lead white for the grey wall. A. The painting’s subtext is reinforced by Vermeer’s refined composition and lighting. A woman dressed in a blue jacket with fur trim stands serenely at a table in a corner of a room. Wikipedia article. This interior scene occupies a special place in Vermeer’s oeuvre because it contains an explicit religious message. For example, he seems to have used the camera obscura, a pinhole device used to project an image onto a wall surface with a lens. In the background is a painting of “The Last Judgment”. The artist’s name was largely forgotten until the late 19th century—so much so that the iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring (Mauritshuis, The Hague) was sold for only two guilders and 30 cents in 1882. 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 . [7] Other historians have suggested that the balance represents her careful harmonization of worldly possessions and spiritual piety. painting by Vermeer. After Vermeer’s death at 43, his wife was forced to declare bankruptcy, and the works in her possession were auctioned. Woman Holding a Balance by Johannes Vermeer. Closed. Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance. The empty scale stresses that she is balancing spiritual rather than material considerations. No records document Vermeer’s early artistic training and apprenticeship—neither where nor with whom he trained. Vermeer made paintings of ladies and maids, many of them involved in quite mundane daily tasks or pastimes, often Woman Holding a Balance (1662-63) Contents • Description • Interpretation of Woman Holding a Balance • More Analysis • Other Works by Vermeer. The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle class life. The pigment in the bright yellow curtain was identified as indian yellow. Vermeer often incorporated blurred effects in his work, similar to those created by the camera obscura. Also examined is its historical perspective of northern attitudes toward family and home. Dutch Painting in the Golden Age, NGA Online Editions During his lifetime, he was a moderately successful provincial genre painter, recognized in Delft and The Hague. 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