Woman Holding a Balance

Johannes Vermeer

c. 1664 · Oil on canvas · National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Woman Holding a Balance

Young Woman with a Water Pitcher

Woman in Blue Reading a Letter

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675)
Year: c. 1664
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 42.5 × 38 cm
Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Movement: Dutch Golden Age

A woman in a fur-trimmed blue jacket stands at a table in the corner of a dim room, holding a small balance perfectly level. Open boxes spill pearls and a gold chain across the table, a mirror hangs beside the window, and behind her is a painting of the Last Judgement. For a long time the picture was called Woman Weighing Gold, until microscopic examination showed the pans are empty; she is testing the balance, not her jewels. Vermeer painted it around 1664, and the pairing of a calm woman with the scene of judgement has drawn many readings, from a vanitas warning to a meditation on a balanced life. It sold for 155 guilders at the Dissius sale in Amsterdam in 1696, more than The Officer and Laughing Girl fetched. It is in the Widener Collection at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, which notes that the canvas was later extended by about five centimetres on every side.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Woman Holding a Balance in the public domain?

Yes. Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by National Gallery of Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Woman Holding a Balance painted, and in what medium?

Woman Holding a Balance dates from c. 1664 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 42.5 × 38 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

Woman Holding a Balance (Johannes Vermeer) — Woman Holding a Balance · Johannes Vermeer · c. 1664. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

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