Gems of the National Gallery of Art

This is a painting by Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter who lived from 1632 to 1675. The painting was done about 1664. The original hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Here is an explanation of the painting from the National Gallery of Art's website:

Woman Holding a Balance is a superb example of Johannes Vermeer’s exquisite sense of stability and rhythm. A woman dressed in a blue jacket with fur trim stands serenely at a table in a corner of a room. The scales in her right hand are at equilibrium, suggestive of her inner state of mind. A large painting of the Last Judgment, framed in black, hangs on the back wall of the room. A shimmering blue cloth, open boxes, two strands of pearls, and a gold chain lie on the sturdy table. Soft light comes in through the window and illuminates the scene. The woman is so pensive that the viewer almost hesitates to intrude on her quiet moment of contemplation.

This short quote seems to summarize why I could never have been an art critic. I think it is a lovely painting, but I don't have that much more to say about it. It is not in the genre of paintings that I enjoy owning. But I love to view them in museums and galleries.