1661
oil
copper
From the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum
Pictura (An Allegory of Painting) is a 1661 oil by Frans van Mieris the Elder, a Dutch Golden Age work, held at J. Paul Getty Museum.
Pictura (An Allegory of Painting) is a 1661 work by Frans van Mieris the Elder, painted on copper. The piece comes from the Dutch Golden Age, a time when van Mieris was known for genre scenes and portraits. His family included several other skilled painters, like his sons Jan and Willem and his grandson Frans the Younger, who all followed his example. If you’re curious to see more, check out the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Frans van Mieris the Elder (16 April 1635 – 12 March 1681), was a Dutch Golden Age genre and portrait painter. The leading member of a Leiden family of painters, his sons Jan (1660–1690) and Willem (1662–1747) and his grandson Frans van Mieris the Younger (1689–1763) were also accomplished genre painters.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Frans was born and died in Leiden, where his father Jan Bastiaans van Mieris was a goldsmith, carver of rubies and diamond setter. His father wished to train him to his own business, but Frans preferred drawing, and studied with Dutch Golden Age painter Jacob Toorenvliet's father, Abraham Toorenvliet, a glazier who kept a school of design. From his own father's shop he became familiar with the ways and dress of people of distinction. His eye was fascinated in turn by the sheen of jewelry and stained glass; and, though he soon left Toorenvliet for the workshops of Gerard Dou and Abraham van…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Allegory of Painting is an oil on copper painting by van Mieris, executed c. 1661. Images representing the allegory of art were traditionally used to classify painting among the liberal arts. A woman, usually idealized, personifies Pictura, painting, and holds objects essential to artistic creation. In her left hand, she holds a palette, brushes, and a small plaster sculpture that served as a model for larger works. Around her neck, she wears a mask suspended from a chain, which may symbolize art's power to deceive through illusion. The mask, the gold chain, and the colour-changing robe are…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Frans van Mieris the Elder (16 April 1635 – 12 March 1681), was a Dutch Golden Age genre and portrait painter.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
