Jan van Mieris | His Life and Work | Margreet van der Hut
MONOGRAPH AND CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ
(KLASSIEKE MONOGRAFIE MET OEUVRECATALOGUS)
Jan van Mieris was the eldest son and pupil of the renowned Dutch fijnschilder Frans van Mieris I (1635-1681), who in turn had studied under Gerard Dou (1613-1675) and Abraham van den Tempel (1622-1672). Jan and his younger brother Willem (1662-1747) followed in their father’s footsteps by continuing the Leiden fijnschilder tradition. As a consequence distinguishing between their work – and that of other illustrious relatives – can be a challenge. Virtually every painting in the catalog was once attributed to Frans I, or Willem, or even to Willem’s son Frans II (1689-1763). Jan van Mieris, who was also a gifted poet, not only wrote a small oeuvre of poems but also several partially rhymed versions of the pastoral play Aminta by Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) in Dutch. They are preserved in a manuscript in Leiden University Library.
Jan van Mieris was de oudste zoon en leerling van de befaamde Leidse fijnschilder Frans van Mieris I (1635-1681), die in de leer was geweest bij Rembrandtleerling Gerard Dou (1613-1675) en Abraham van den Tempel (1622-1672). Jan en zijn broer Willem (1622-1647) traden in het voetspoor van hun vader door in zijn stijl te werken. Dientengevolge is hun werk soms moeilijk van elkaar te onderscheiden en vrijwel ieder schilderij van Jan van Mieris is wel eens toegeschreven aan Frans I, Willem of zelfs aan Willems zoon Frans II (1689-1763). Behalve schilder was Jan ook dichter. Een vijftal gedichten van zijn hand en enkele berijmde versies van het toneelstuk Aminta van de Italiaanse dichter Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) zijn bewaard gebleven in een manuscript dat zich bevindt in de Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden.
Art Historian and former owner M. J. Ripps about this Self-Portrait: “The theme of the artist with the tools of his trade to hand has a robust tradition on both sides of the Alps. In the middle sixteenth-century artists such as Catherina Sanders van Hemessen (c. 1500 - 1566) and Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1532 - 1625) memorably depicted themselves with brushes, palette, and Mahlstick, as did leading artists of the subsequent generations. Jan van Mieris’ self-portrait is in dialogue with that of his father Frans, and engages a tradition that ultimately reaches back to Rogier van der Weyden (1399/1400 - 1464) and forward to Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 - 1669) - critical reference points with which the elder and younger Mieris would have been well acquainted. And by placing themselves at a ledge, father and son invoked a pictorial tradition with roots in Raphael’s iconic portrait of Castiglione. In this little self-portrait, thus, grand traditions are encapsulated in miniature.”
In this book Jan van Mieris’ oeuvre finally receives the attention it deserves. The catalogue raisonné contains 41 paintings. portraits, genre pieces and history paintings, seven drawings and three mezzotints after his paintings. This study is helpful in understanding the double talent of the young painter who made Horatius’ device ‘Ut Pictura Poesis’ (as is painting so is poetry) his own.
Het boek bevat naast het levensverhaal van de schilder een volledig overzicht van Jans oeuvre, dat bestaat uit 41 schilderijen, waaronder portretten, genrevoorstellingen en historiestukken. Tevens zijn drie mezzotinten en zeven tekeningen opgenomen. De studie werpt nieuw licht op het dubbeltalent van de jonge schilder die Horatius devies ut pictura poesis (poëzie is als schilderkunst) tot zijn leidraad maakte.
CONTENTS
Karel van Mander Academy – KVMA Visual Heritage Series in the Netherlands Reeks voor Visueel Erfgoed in Nederland, 4
ISBN 978-90-831031-1-2 (hardcover)
182 pp.
NUR Code 654
Language: English
Taal: Engels
Hardcover: EUR 59,95