This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery. Please follow the links below for related online resources or visit our current exhibitions schedule.

Praised by contemporaries as the most important of all Leiden fijnschilders (masters of fine painting), Frans van Mieris (1635–1681) is best known for his innovative interior scenes and elegant portraits. Although Van Mieris painted serious allegories and portraits, most of his works are thoughtful yet lighthearted genre scenes. Quacks, peasants, elegantly dressed ladies, soldiers, and pets appear in different combinations, mostly painted on copper, often stressing themes such as love, deceit, vanity, and imitation. Van Mieris' pictures were widely copied by contemporaries and influenced many fellow painters, including Vermeer. The works were selected in consultation with the Van Mieris scholar Otto Naumann whose catalogue contribution appears alongside writings by leading scholars.

Sponsor: The exhibition is made possible by anonymous donors to the National Gallery of Art.

It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

The film is made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas S. Kaplan.