Everyday Settings, Sacred and Moral Meaning

Long Essay: ComparisonAbout 35 minutes

The work shown is Woman Holding a Balance, by Johannes Vermeer, c. 1664 CE, oil on canvas.

Vermeer sets a quiet domestic scene among objects and images that invite moral or religious reflection. Choose another work in which an artist uses a domestic interior or everyday objects to convey religious or moral meaning. You may choose one of the works listed or any other relevant work from the required works.

A woman in a blue jacket and white head covering holds a small balance beside a table in a quiet room.

Select one of these, or any other relevant work:

Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece)
The Arnolfini Portrait

(A) Identify the work you chose, giving at least two accurate identifiers beyond its title.

(B) Describe one visual feature of Woman Holding a Balance and one visual feature of the work you chose.

(C) Using specific visual evidence from both works, explain two similarities or differences in how the artists use domestic settings and everyday objects to convey meaning.

(D) Make a claim about why the artists set religious or moral meaning in a domestic interior. Support your claim with specific contextual evidence from both works.