Elegant company in an interior, Frans van Mieris (Leiden 1635 – 1681) Workshop

Frans van Mieris the Elder (Leiden 1635 – Leiden 1681) Workshop

Elegant company in an interior (or 'Self-portrait with his family')

Oil on canvas (50 x 41 cm. – In a beautiful frame 80 x 72 cm.)

Full details of the work (click HERE)

The proposed painting embraces a genre highly appreciated by collectors of Flemish painting from the “Golden Age”, which sees at the heart of the work the family intimacy that was created within the rich homes of the bourgeoisie of the time, in settings overflowing with ornamental details.

The brilliance and success of these images lies in the ability to capture, like a snapshot, a particular moment of everyday domestic life, through a skillful pictorial rendering that leverages great attention to detail and the play of light.

Our work, in particular, takes inspiration from a famous composition by the great Flemish painter Frans van Mieris (Leiden 1635 – Leiden 1681), who depicted himself in a sumptuous salon in 1675. The painting is now housed in the Galleria Palatina degli Uffizi in Florence (https://rkd.nl/images/251443) **.

Considered also by ancient sources to be a masterpiece of the artist, the painting had a very long and interesting history: commissioned by Cosimo III de' Medici, a great patron and collector of Flemish works, in January 1674, after countless requests from the client, it was completed by van Mieris only the following year, and sold for the enormous sum of 2500 florins.

The group of figures is a self-portrait of the painter: it is easy to identify his features in the gentleman in the background dressed in a black velvet cloak, while the other figures, in the opinion of many critics, could be part of his family, gathered for a concert inside a rich stately home.

The two women in the foreground, wearing sumptuous dresses in satin, velvet, and precious furs, could be recognized as his wife and daughter: the former holds a lute in her hand, the latter is seated, savoring some wine from a crystal goblet that a child, perhaps his son, has just brought her.

In typical authorial style, we are faced with a refined work, capable of creating a surprising atmosphere, immediately taking us back in time to the golden age of the Netherlands.

It's the small details that make all the difference, making each of his works unique, from the golden angel with bow and quiver hanging from the ceiling, to the little dog in the woman's arms in the foreground, the column topped by an entablature carved with a classical relief. And then there's the table on the right, covered with a green velvet drape, on which a tray of fruit rests, while a little monkey nibbles on a few pieces.

** Frans van Mieris the Elder, Elegant Company in an Interior
1635-1681, Oil on panel, 52×40
Uffizi Gallery, Rembrandt and 17th-Century Flemish Room

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is sold complete with a pleasant wooden frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.

We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works.

Contact us, without obligation, for any additional information.

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