1662 -1747 · Leiden and last burst of the fijnschilders

Polished silks, familiar gestures and symbolic objects make Willem van Mieris the refined heir to Leiden's fine painting.

Willem van Mieris was born in Leiden in 1662 and died there in 1747. Second son of Frans van Mieris the Elder, he learned in his father's workshop the meticulous technique of fijnschilders, these "fine painters" capable of rendering on small panels skin, satin, metal or fur with almost tactile precision. Upon the sudden death of his father in 1681, Willem was already sufficiently trained to pursue family activity. He entered the guild of Saint-Luc de Leiden in 1683, assumed several responsibilities and became one of the most sought-after artists in the city. He entered the guild of Saint-Luc de Leiden in 1683, assumed several responsibilities and became one of the most sought-after artists in the city. With the sudden death of his father in 1681, Willem was already sufficiently trained to continue the family business. He entered the guild of Saint-Luc de Leiden in 1683, assumed several responsibilities and became one of the most sought-after artists in the city. With the sudden death of his father in 1681, Willem was already sufficiently trained to continue the family business. He entered the guild of Saint-Luc de Leiden in 1683, assumed several responsibilities and became one of the most sought-after artists in the city directed for several decades. Van Mieris takes up his father's elegant interiors, market scenes and half-body figures, but gives them a smoother surface, clear light and an increased taste for classical architecture. The Cook brings together domestic activity and an abundance of food; The Game Merchant transforms the stall into a demonstration of textures, plumages and reflections. In Tea, the exotic object, porcelain and social ritual tell the story of the refinement of Dutch elites. The Soap Bubbles seems at first a light scene, but the iridescent and fragile sphere recalls the brevity of pleasures and time. This alliance of virtuosity and moral significance characterizes all his art. His great patron Pieter de la Court van der Voort commissioned paintings, decorations and mythological subjects from him. Despite a declining view in his last years, Van Mieris pursued a long and admired career. He passed on his workshop to his son Frans the Younger and extended the luminous demands of the Leiden school until the middle of the 18th century. The "Willem van Mieris" selection notably compared La Cuisinière and Le Marchand de gibier.

Van Mieris polishes matter to the point of illusion, but behind silk, fruit or bubble always remains a meditation on desire and time.