Artwork
A Woman with a Dog
A Woman with a Dog is an unspecified painting by the Rococo painting artist Herman van der Mijn. It dates from 1719 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
History & Provenance
It was produced in 1719, as indicated by the entry that lists the piece under the classification Painting and the genre Portrait.
The work titled “A Woman with a Dog” is attributed to Herman van der Mijn and is recorded as a portrait painting.
It was produced in 1719, as indicated by the entry that lists the piece under the classification Painting and the genre Portrait. The entry specifies the work as a painting dated 1719, providing the only dated reference for its creation. No further documentation of its commission, ownership, or subsequent sales is provided in the available sources.
Context
Herman van der Mijn (1684–1741) was an Amsterdam-born painter whose career spanned the Dutch Republic, the Palatinate court at Düsseldorf, and London. Trained in flower painting by Ernst Stuven, he joined the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1712 and the following year became court painter to Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm. After his patron's death in 1716, he traveled via Antwerp and Paris before settling in London around 1721–22, where he ran a successful portrait workshop.
His practice encompassed history painting, portraits, floral and fruit still lifes, and genre scenes, situating him within the tradition of Dutch flower painters such as Rachel Ruysch and Jan van Huysum. He taught drawing and painting to Anne, Princess Royal, and instructed pupils including Jacoba Maria van Nickelen, James Latham, and Herman Frederik van Hengel. Six of his children became painters, and his sister Agatha was also a flower painter.
Art-historical references to van der Mijn appear in Arnold Houbraken's and Johan van Gool's eighteenth-century artist biographies, George Vertue's Anecdotes of Painting in England, and Thieme-Becker's Künstlerlexikon. A 1951 article by Zimmermann in Berliner Museen examined his work. His 1719 portrait A Woman with a Dog reflects the small-scale portraiture for which his London studio was known.
Overview
Herman van der Mijn's painting, 'A Woman with a Dog,' depicts a female figure seated in a serene outdoor setting. The artist, who built a successful career in London, was recognized for his finely detailed portraits and genre scenes, often featuring women in landscapes. This particular work exemplifies his meticulous brushwork, evident in the rendering of the woman's attire and the dog's fur. The identity of the sitter, whether a real individual or a character from a narrative, remains unspecified.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork portrays a woman in a pale blue dress, gently holding a small white dog while seated on a stone bench. A backdrop of trees and a soft sky suggests a tranquil natural environment. Van der Mijn frequently included female subjects in landscapes, sometimes hinting at stories from classical mythology or the Bible.
However, for this specific composition, the precise identity of the woman and any potential allegorical meaning are not definitively known.
Technique & Style
Van der Mijn utilized a precise and delicate painting approach, characterized by tiny, careful brushstrokes. This meticulous technique is particularly noticeable in the intricate folds of the woman's dress and the texture of the dog's fur, contributing to the work's refined finish. The gentle, even illumination, reminiscent of early morning light, softly defines the forms and enhances the overall quiet atmosphere of the composition, a hallmark of the artist's detailed style.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Herman van der Mijn, or Heroman van der Myn (1684 – 1741), was an 18th-century painter from the Dutch Republic.
