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.

[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.

[4][5] To some critics who perceive her as measuring her valuables, the juxtaposition with the final judgement suggests that the woman should be focusing on the treasures of Heaven rather than those of Earth,[6] with the mirror on the wall reinforcing the vanity of her pursuits.

[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.

[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.