Michiel van Miereveld (1567-1641) was the son of a Delft goldsmith. He trained in Utrecht and Delft where he resided all his life. He soon specialised in portraiture and was praised by his contemporaries as a great portrait painter receiving commissions from all over Holland.
This painting was once thought to be Miereveld's self-portrait. It shows a middle-aged man wearing an embroidered doublet with padding in the typical fashion of the first half of the 17th century, and a silk sash edged with lace. He has a large ruff of lace and wears a goatee also en vogue at that time. Van Miereveld worked for the Stadholder in The Hague from 1625 and this man may be a courtier or other high official. The costume indicates a date around 1625. The neutral receding background is slightly darker on the left hand side in order to provide an interesting play of depth behind the sitter, a typical trend in 17th century Dutch portraiture. However the portrait is executed with accuracy, it appears rather stiff and flat. The ruff's edges around the neck are particularly sharp and contrast with the smoothness of the face. A similar ruff is represented in the Portrait of Ernst Casimir dated 1633, Risjksmuseum, Amsterdam. These flatness and stiffness are quite common in van Miereveld's large output that includes more than a thousand portraits. However not all of the portraits attributed to him are by his hand but by assistants or close followers.
Physical description
A three-quarter profile bust of a bearded man in 1620s Dutch costume.
Place of Origin
Delft, Netherlands (probably, painted)
Date
ca. 1625-ca.1630 (painted)
Artist/maker
Miereveld, Michiel Jansz. van, born 1567 - died 1641 (follower of, painter (artist))
Materials and Techniques
Oil on oak panel
Dimensions
Height: 63.5 cm estimate, Width: 51 cm estimate
Object history note
Bequeathed by Mrs G. M. Spear, 1970.
Historical significance: This painting is a typical example of Michiel van Miereveld's portraiture. The artist focused his attention on rendering with great accuracy the outfit in a stiff brushwork that contrasts somewhat with the refinement of the whole picture. His production was very large (more than a thousand paintings) but extremely repetitive and lacking of invention. Almost all of his portraits, which include either men or women, follow the same structure: a half-bust shown in three quarter profile, lacking of expressive features, set against a neutral receding background. The large production of the painter can be explained with his tendency to have copies made of his portraits of the most popular sitters or private citizens for circulation within the family, a practice not unknown in 17th century Holland but especially common with van Mierevelt. Moreover this number was swollen by repetitions and variations executed by pupils and followers. Despite the apparent repetition and lack of innovation, van Miereveld was highly praised as a portrait painter, a popularity witnessed by his appearance in Karel van Mander's, a contemporary art critic, Schilderboeck.
Van Miereveld influenced a large group of Dutch portrait painters among whom the most notable were Paulus Moreelse (1571-1638) and Anthonie Palamedesz. (1600/1601-1673/1680). His sons Pieter (1596-1623) and Jan (1604-1633) were also portraitists. At the end of his life, he had to confront the rising popularity of Gerrit van Honthorst (ca.1590-1656).
Historical context note
Portraits and landscapes were pursued more than any other type of paintings throughout the 17th century in Holland. A great majority of these were commissioned by well-to-do citizens, whether prosperous merchants and professionals, or members of the city patriciates. Two cities were at the forefront at the turning of the 1630s: Amsterdam and The Hague. Amsterdam had the widest choice of painters and the greatest demand for portraiture. Thomas de Keyser (1596/97-1667) contributed to develop an innovative thrust in portraiture with the production of small- scale group portraits set in domestic interiors. Bartholomeus van Helst had a great influence on Amsterdam portraiture from 1640s together with other prominent painters such as Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Jacob Adriaensz. Backer (1608-1651), Govaert Teunisz. Flinck (1615-1660), a pupil of Rembrandt, and Ferdinand Bol (1616-1680). The particular portrait type that Ter Borch created in Deventer little spread elsewhere and in Amsterdam and western Dutch cities, an alternative portrait type flourished, following the trend developed by Rubens' student Van Dyck, originated at the English court and later adapted to Dutch needs. It inspired such artists as Nicolaes Maes, Michiel van Musscher, and Ter Borch's own students Caspar Netscher.
Descriptive line
Oil Painting, 'A Man Wearing a Ruff', follower of Michiel Jansz. van Miereveld, ca. 1625-ca. 1630
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Kauffmann, C.M., Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, I. Before 1800. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973, p. 190, cat. no. 227.
The following is the full text of the entry:
Michiel van MIEREVELD (1567-1641)
Dutch (Delft) School
Born in Delft, he was a pupil of Anthonie van Blockland. From 1583 he lived in Delft, but from 1625 he also worked at the court of the Stadholder at The Hague. He was exclusively a portrait painter.
Follower of Michiel van MIEREVELD
227
A MAN WEARING A RUFF
Oak panel
25 x 20 1/8 (63.5 x 51)
P.29-1970
The old description - self portrait of Miereveld' - is unacceptable, but an attribution to Miereveld's immediate circle is supported by Oliver Millar (written communication). The costume indicates a date ca. 1625-30.
Prov. Mrs G. M. Spear, Eastbourne; bequeathed to the Museum in 1970.
Production Note
Originally thought to be Miereveld's self-portrait, this is now considered the work of one of his followers. The dating is based on the man's costume.
Materials
Oil paint; Panel
Techniques
Oil painting
Subjects depicted
Man; Portrait; Ruff; Sash; Doublet
Categories
Portraits; Paintings
Collection code
PDP
