To support his argument Gaskell refers to one of the personifications of Truth described by Cesare Ripa in the 1644 Dutch edition of the lconologia. For comparisons with slightly different emphases see Wilhelm von Bode, Die Meister der holländischen und vlämischen Malerschulen, 2nd ed. are visible in the X-radiograph [fig. Here you can see why his rediscoverers called him a master artist. 4] Pieter de Hooch, A Woman Weighing Gold, mid-1660s, oil on canvas, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Gemäldegalerie. 3] Before the 1994 conservation treatment, Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener Collection, 1942.9.97. The authors concluded that the woman, following an old folk tradition, was weighing pearls to help her divine the sex of the unborn child. 68). The hand holding the balance, for example, occupies a position directly in front of the frame’s dark corner, while the scales are set off against the bare plaster wall—an effect that Vermeer created through subtle spatial manipulation. Saint Ignatius of Loyola instructed the faithful to examine their consciences and weigh their sins as if facing Judgment Day. . As riches they belong to, and are valued within, the temporal world. You may download complete editions of this catalog from the catalog’s home page. It is the first painting listed in that sale, which included twenty-one paintings by Vermeer, and is described in the following terms: “A young lady weighing gold, in a box by J. van der Meer of Delft, extraordinarily artful and vigorously painted.”[18] [18]Albert Blankert, with contributions by Rob Ruurs and Willem van de Watering, Johannes Vermeer van Delft, 1632–1675 (Utrecht, 1975), 136, doc. 48); bought for Ph. [London, 1907–1927], 1:586), on the other hand, described the painting as A Woman Weighing Gold: “In an interior a woman, wearing a dark blue velvet jacket trimmed with fur, stands weighing gold at a table with a blue cover.” Later, in “A Newly Discovered Picture by Vermeer of Delft,” Burlington Magazine 18 (December 1910): 134, Hofstede de Groot offered a somewhat more complex interpretation of the scene: “Her attention is concentrated on weighing gold, or possibly on testing the accuracy of her scales, for the purpose of weighing the pearls lying before her on the table; thus the picture is also mentioned by the title of A Woman Weighing Pearls.” Philip L. Hale, Vermeer (Boston and New York, 1937), 140–142, returned to this idea in his monograph on Vermeer. 2] X-radiograph composite, Johannes Vermeer. Jahrhunderts,” in Festschrift für Wilhelm Pinder zum sechzigsten Geburtstage (Leipzig, 1938), 409. behind the standing woman—. Regularly spaced tacking holes and losses in the ground layer along the folds of fabric bent over the original stretcher confirm that these smaller dimensions were the original format. Perhaps the most fascinating early reference to this work comes from the first sale in which it appeared, the Dissius sale in Amsterdam of 1696. Anne-Marie Logan (Doornspijk, 1983), suggested that a pregnant woman holding scales would have been interpreted as a Catholic response to disagreements about the moment a Christian soul obtains grace and salvation. Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Alte Meister (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister), Dresden. By her active gesture she separates herself from the quiet rhythms and geometrical structure of the room. A distinctive characteristic of this composition, found often in De Backer’s works, is that Christ sits in judgment with both arms raised. Since then, many authors have accepted her pregnant state as fact, including John Walsh Jr., “Vermeer,” Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 31 (Summer 1973): 79, and Ernst Günther Grimme, Jan Vermeer van Delft (Cologne, 1974), 54, who, as a consequence of the supposed pregnancy, identified the model as Vermeer’s wife, Catharina Bolnes, mother of his fifteen children. Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle class life. B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania;[8] inheritance from Estate of Peter A. In addition to questions concerning the contents of the balance, there has been speculation as to whether the woman is pregnant or whether her costume reflects a style of dress in fashion during the early to mid-1660s, when this painting seems to have been executed. . Volker Manuth and Axel Rüger (London, 2004), 232–239. Derrière la jolie femme, il a placé un grand tableau dont la signification est pleine de menaces: un jugement dernier. While one may question the likelihood of this latter interpretation, Cunnar’s assessment of the various possible theological responses to the painting is particularly useful. He probably made similar adjustments in the Last Judgment. Correspondingly, the mirror, placed near the light source, and directly opposite the woman’s face, was commonly referred to as a means of self-knowledge. Possibly Pieter Claesz van Ruijven [1624-1674], Delft; possibly by inheritance to his wife, Maria de Knuijt [d. 1681], Delft; possibly by inheritance to her daughter, Magdalena van Ruijven [1655-1682], Delft; possibly by inheritance to her husband, Jacobus Abrahamsz. 3] Before the 1994 conservation treatment, Johannes Vermeer, The thematic complexities of Vermeer’s composition are also lacking in De Hooch’s work. Soft light coming through the window illuminates the scene. Indeed, in the context of that pensive moment of decision, the mirror also suggests the evocative imagery of 1 Corinthians 13:12: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” Vermeer’s painting is thus a positive statement, an expression of the essential tranquility of one who understands the implications of the Last Judgment and who searches to moderate her life in order to warrant her salvation. Rudolph noted, however, that the scales that the woman was holding were empty. Vermeer’s early ambition was to become a history painter. No pentimenti are visible in the X-radiograph; an infrared photograph reveals a change in the position of the balance. © 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. Rudolph saw the scene of the Last Judgment as a central clue to the hidden symbolism of this painting, which he entitled The Pearlweigher. [fig. painted surface: 39.7 x 35.5 cm (15 5/8 x 14 in. It reinforces the notion that Vermeer often chose motifs and moments that have dual implications, ones which the protagonists, as well as the observer, must struggle to resolve. Vermeer, Jan: Woman Holding a Balance (c1663) For many years the artist Ian Breakwell, who died last autumn, kept a diary - a diary of things seen and things heard. Woman Holding a Balance provides us not with a warning but with comfort and reassurance; it makes us feel not the vanity of life but its preciousness. [3] Both the ground color and the brown sketch influence the final image, the ground color warming the thinly painted flesh tones and hood and the brown sketch contributing shadows to the blue jacket. Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., “The Framing of a Vermeer,” in Collected Opinions: Essays on Netherlandish Art in Honour of Alfred Bader, ed. But if the viewers would look closely, they could find a small bulk of precious materials lying on the table. The woman is possibly a symbol of earthiness or heavenliness and her holding a balance is a symbol of weighing moralities. 1585), a student of Frans Floris I (Flemish, c. 1519 - 1570) and an artist who specialized in similar Last Judgment scenes. Johannes Vermeer's Woman Holding a Balance, Image Download [12] [12]Eugene R. Cunnar, “The Viewer’s Share: Three Sectarian Readings of Vermeer’s Woman with a Balance,” Exemplaria 2 (1990): 501–536, corrects a number of misconceptions about the theological arguments advanced by Salomon and focuses on the meditative character of the image. He also accepts as fact that the woman is pregnant and attempts to relate the image to biblical texts, specifically Genesis 3:15, by interpreting the support underneath the table as the vision of a dragon described by John in Revelation 12. To help interpret the symbolism he emphasized that pearls and mirrors often had vanitas connotations, ones that were strengthened in the context of a scene of the Last Judgment. Ivan Gaskell and Michiel Jonker (Washington, DC, 1998), 327–339, particularly 330–332. Early authors assumed that the pans of the woman's balance contained gold or pearls. The opinion that she is not pregnant but wearing such a bulky outfit, which this author expressed in Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century (Washington, DC, 1995), is shared by Albert Blankert in Gilles Aillaud, Albert Blankert, and John Michael Montias, Vermeer (Paris, 1986), 181, and by Marieke de Winkel, “The Interpretation of Dress in Vermeer's Paintings,” in Vermeer Studies, ed. The woman appears to be pregnant as her dress is protruding. A. Entitling the painting A Lady Weighing Gold, he wrote: “In this painting a connection between the lady, who seems to be weighing pearls against gold, and the painting that hangs on the wall behind her turns the incident into a fanciful allegory of the Last Judgment.” He then added: “she takes on something of the character of Saint Michael, the weigher of souls in the part of the Last Judgment which is hidden.”. Her white cap falls loosely to either side of her neck, framing her pensive yet serene face. For other instances of Dutch artists altering the dimensions of paintings within paintings see Wolfgang Stechow, “Landscape Painting in Dutch Seventeenth-Century Interiors,” Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek 11 (1960): 165–184. Woman Holding a Balance From the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Who knows if these beautiful necklaces from the East will not be weighing very heavily in the balance of the Archangel? 62. The scales in her right hand are at equilibrium, suggestive of her inner state of mind. 15 7/8 × 14 in (39.7 × 35.5 cm). tu seras pesée et jugée à ton tour!” (Ah, you weigh jewelry? Such theological associations were made in the seventeenth century and may have played a part in Vermeer’s allegorical concept. A shimmering blue cloth and an open jewelry box with two strands of pearls and a gold chain lie on the sturdy table. You too will be weighed and judged!). 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. Woman Holding a Balance. The device exaggerated spatial effects, and the projected image was probably not sharply focused. For further discussions of Vermeer’s use of Amorum emblemata see Eddy de Jongh, Zinne-en Minnebeelden in de schilderkunst van de zeventiende eeuw (Amsterdam, 1967), 49–50. Although no PentimentiPentimenti An alteration made by the artist to an area that was already painted. Don't settle for cheap prints when you can own a beautiful handmade oil painting reproduction of Woman Holding A Balance by Johannes Vermeer. 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. 1] Detail, Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener Collection, 1942.9.97. Vermeer made paintings of ladies center of the painting is the center of the balance. I must rather be like the equalized scales of a balance ready to follow the course which I feel is more for the glory and praise of God, our Lord, and the salvation of my soul. van der Schley, Amsterdam, 11 May 1801, no. Premium Fine Art Rough. P. T. A. Swillens, Johannes Vermeer: Painter of Delft, 1632–1675 (Utrecht, 1950), 105, also called the painting Girl Weighing Pearls but did not emphasize the vanitas nature of the scene as explicitly as did Rudolph. Who knows if these beautiful necklaces from the East will not be weighing very heavily in the balance of the Archangel? A large painting of the Last Judgment, framed in black, hangs on the back wall of the room. Woman Holding a Balance (c. 1664) by Johannes Vermeer. Form: pinky is the vanishing point. Behind the beautiful woman, he placed a large painting whose meaning is full of threats: a Last Judgement. Note: Exhibition history, provenance, and bibliography are subject to change as new information becomes available. He dealt in works of art and seems to have used works from his own collection in his paintings. van der Schley by M[errem]." In the band of pearls draped over the box, the size of the pearl (the thin, diffused layer) remains relatively constant although the highlights on the pearls (the thick, top layer) vary considerably in size according to the amount of light hitting them. Woman Holding a Balance (ca 1664). B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; gift 1942 to NGA. [3] Nicolaas Nieuhoff [1733-1776], Amsterdam; (his estate sale, Arnoldus Dankmeyer, Amsterdam,14 April 1777 and days following, no. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Woman Holding a Balance takes your breath away as you enter the gallery room. The full verse is: Fortune is loues looking-glas Volker Manuth and Axel Rüger (London, 2004), 232–239. Périer, later Casimir-Périer [1811-1876];[6] probably by inheritance to Auguste's daughter, Marie Thérèse Henriette Jeanne, comtesse de Ségur [1844-1916, née Périer];[7] purchased 1910 by (P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., London); one-quarter share purchased October 1910 by (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); sold 11 January 1911 to Peter A. His father Reynier was a weaver of fine cloth, which provided the family a comfortable living. Feel free to explore, study and enjoy paintings with PaintingValley.com (Berlin-Dahlem, 1978), 212. See George Ferguson, Signs and Symbols in Christian Art (New York, 1959), 23. . You too will be weighed and judged!). Her head and the central gesture of her hand are thus visually locked in space, and a seeming moment of quiet contemplation becomes endowed with permanence and symbolic associations. Jahrhunderts,” in Festschrift für Wilhelm Pinder zum sechzigsten Geburtstage (Leipzig, 1938), 405–412. While generally accepted as an allegory, Woman Holding a Balance has been interpreted in many ways. [1] When the painting was lined, the format was enlarged about one-half inch on all sides by opening out and flattening the tacking margins. He apparently modified the color schemes and the scale of the painting only to satisfy the needs of his composition. This question has been asked time and again, and, indeed, the actual nature of her act and its significance have been variously interpreted. What then is the thematic relationship between her act and the painting on the wall behind her? De Hooch’s woman weighs her gold before a wall richly decorated with a gilded-leather wallcovering and a half-open door leading into a second room. [2] For this sale see John Michael Montias, Vermeer and His Milieu: A Web of Social History, Princeton, 1989: 363-364, doc. This fashion created the impression of a forward-thrusting stomach, which was evidently a desirable one. The experience would have been a private one, a timeless moment for both visual and spiritual enrichment as one contemplated the allegorical themes of balance and harmony that underlie this work. Terms of Use Privacy Policy, the X-radiograph reveals that the viewer almost to! Judge is to weigh a comfortable living ( Princeton, 1989 ), 405–412 not hard understand.! Dark passages pensive yet serene face see Wilhelm von Bode, Die Meister der holländischen und Malerschulen... 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