Woman Holding a Balance

– Once called “A woman weighing gold” but a detailed examination revealed her hands to be empty
– The woman may have been based on Catharina Vermeer, the artist’s wife
– Some see religious or spiritual meaning in the painting due to the juxtaposition of her weighing her valuables against a backdrop of the “Last Judgment” painting in the background, with one art critic describing her as “symbolically weighing unborn souls”