Sending the Boy for Beer
Frans van Mieris the Elder
1655-1657
The university town of Leiden came to name a school within 17th century Dutch painting founded by the Rembrandt student Gerrit Dou (1613-1675). The Leiden School is known for its “fine” painting, a very sophisticated and time-consuming style of painting where the brushstrokes are barely visible. These paintings are usually quite small and often depict scenes from everyday life. Frans van Mieris the Elder studied under several masters, but the true foundations of his long career were laid at Gerrit Dou’s studio. He was received as a master with the Leiden Guild of Painters in 1658, but by then he had already been selling his paintings for some time. Van Mieris specialised in painting scenes from everyday life. Unlike Dou’s dark interiors, his scenes take place within comfortable, light-filled rooms.
SMK – National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen · Image: SMK – National Gallery of Denmark, Public domain · Text: SMK – National Gallery of Denmark (text: Eva de la Fuente Pedersen) (adapted), CC0