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Woman Standing before a Mirror
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Woman Standing before a Mirror
Frans van Mieris the Elder (studio copy?)(Leiden 1635 – 1681 Leiden)

17th century
Oil on panel
31.8 x 24.5 cm
faint illegible letters in light paint, upper rightcorner
FM-121

How to cite
Buvelot, Quentin. “Woman Standing before a Mirror” (2017). In The Leiden Collection Catalogue, 2nd ed.
Edited by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. New York, 2017–20. https://theleidencollection.com/artwork/a-womanstanding-before-a-mirror/ (archived May 2020).
A PDF of every version of this entry is available in this Online Catalogue's Archive, and the Archive ismanaged by a permanent URL. New versions are added only when a substantive change to the narrativeoccurs.

A good gauge of the popularity of Frans van Mieris’s painted oeuvre is theComparative Figureslarge number of copies, the oldest of which must have been made during hislifetime.[1] Nevertheless, little information exists about Van Mieris’sworkshop; it is not even known if the master made replicas of his own
paintings. Copies and variants of Van Mieris’s paintings, however, werecertainly made after his death for Leiden collectors, a number of which camefrom the hand of his son, Willem (1662–1747). Some of Van Mieris’s
paintings were particularly popular and frequently copied; for example,
around thirty copies are known of The Oyster Meal from 1661 (Mauritshuis,The Hague).[2] A Woman before a Mirror, now in Berlin (fig 1), was alsofrequently copied, as was this Leiden Collection painting.[3] At least twenty
other copies after the Berlin picture are recorded,[4] making it virtually
impossible to establish their individual provenances. This copy is almost
identical to the Berlin original, the most conspicuous difference being theFig 1. Frans van Mieris the Elder,
A Woman before a Mirror, ca.
1662, oil on panel, 30 x 23 cm,
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin,Gemäldegalerie, 838© 2020 The Leiden Collection

Woman Standing before a Mirror
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blue ribbon on the red jacket draped over the chair.
It is difficult to determine whether the present picture was made in the studioof Frans van Mieris, although dendrochronological analysis indicates that thepanel does date from the seventeenth century.[5] Not surprisingly, a numberof later copies were made with fraudulent intent. The well-known collector
and fabulously wealthy cloth merchant Pieter de la Court van der Voort(1664–1739), a great patron of Willem van Mieris, wrote to his wife on 8
August 1700 from Paris that on some of Willem’s paintings, the first namehad been replaced by “Frans” or simply overpainted to create theimpression that the works were by his father.[6] Frans van Mieris the Elder
had been dead for almost twenty years by then, but he was evidently still aninternational celebrity.
The theme of a young woman making her toilette appears relatively often inFrans van Mieris’s paintings.[7] The concentration with which the young
woman stands before a mirror while holding a piece of jewelry to her neckmakes it clear that she is putting the last touches to her attire. Her darkskinned maidservant, whose face Van Mieris prepared meticulously in adrawn study for the original painting,[8] holds up a jewelry box and waits
curiously to see which piece her mistress will decide to wear. To the right,
through a doorway, one sees a man reading at a table.
In the context of a woman making her toilette, a mirror can be associatedwith vanity or sensual pleasure.[9] That the woman uses the mirror here toadorn herself with jewelry seems to confirm this meaning. The opened letteron a corner of the table is without doubt a love letter—evidence of her interestin the sensual pleasures.[10] In contrast to the woman’s concern withappearances, the man reading represents the opposite attitude: the life of themind and a desire to acquire knowledge and wisdom.

- Quentin Buvelot, 2017

© 2020 The Leiden Collection

Woman Standing before a Mirror
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1. For lists of copies, see Otto Naumann, Frans van Mieris (1635–1681) the Elder, 2 vols.
(Doornspijk, 1981), vol. 2; and Eric-Jan Sluijter, Marlies Enklaar, and Paul Niewenhuizen,eds., Leidse Fijnschilders: van Gerrit Dou tot Frans van Mieris de Jonge, 1630–1760 (Exh.
cat. Leiden, Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal) (Zwolle, 1988), 35–36.
2. Otto Naumann, Frans van Mieris (1635–1681) the Elder, 2 vols. (Doornspijk, 1981), 2:44–48,nos. 36a–cc.
3. Otto Naumann, Frans van Mieris (1635–1681) the Elder, 2 vols. (Doornspijk, 1981), 2:56–59,no. 46; see also Peter van der Ploeg in Frans van Mieris 1635–1681, ed. Quentin Buvelot(Exh. cat. The Hague, Mauritshuis; Washington D.C., National Gallery of Art) (Zwolle, 2005),
157–59, no. 31, repr. Otto Naumann also thinks that the present painting is a copy
(correspondence with the author, 10 August 2012).
4. Otto Naumann, Frans van Mieris (1635–1681) the Elder, 2 vols. (Doornspijk, 1981), 2: 56–59,nos. 46a–u.
5. On the basis of dendrochronological research executed by Peter Klein in 2012, the panel wasdated after 1618 (letter of Peter Klein, dated 17 July 2012, kept in the Leiden Collection
archives).
6. Otto Naumann, Frans van Mieris (1635–1681) the Elder, 2 vols. (Doornspijk, 1981), 1: 193,207–10; T. H. Lunsingh Scheurleer, ed., Het Rapenburg: Geschiedenis van een Leidse
gracht, 10 vols. (Leiden, 1986–92), 2: 388; 6a: 358–59, and figs. 55–56; Eric Jan Sluijter,“Een stuck waerin een jufr. voor de spiegel van Gerrit Douw,” Antiek 23 (1988): 35–36.
7. Otto Naumann, Frans van Mieris (1635–1681) the Elder, 2 vols. (Doornspijk, 1981), 2: nos.
32, 51, 69, 76, 114.
8. Otto Naumann, “Frans van Mieris as a Draughtsman,” Master Drawings 16, no. 1 (1978): 27,no. 11; Quentin Buvelot, Otto Naumann, and Eddy de Jongh, Frans van Mieris 1635–1681,ed. Quentin Buvelot (Exh. cat. The Hague, Mauritshuis; Washington D.C., National Gallery ofArt) (Zwolle, 2005), 157, fig. 31a.
9. For the symbolism of mirrors, see Eddy de Jongh, Zinne- en minnebeelden in deschilderkunst van de zeventiende eeuw (Amsterdam, 1967), 76–78; Eddy de Jongh, Totlering en vermaak: betekenissen van Hollandse genrevoorstellingen uit de zeventiende eeuw
(Exh. cat. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum) (Amsterdam, 1976), no. 47; Eric Jan Sluijter, “Eenstuck waerin een jufr. voor de spiegel van Gerrit Douw,” Antiek 23 (1988): 150–61.
10. Otto Naumann, Frans van Mieris (1635–1681) the Elder, 2 vols. (Doornspijk, 1981), 1: 69.

© 2020 The Leiden Collection

Woman Standing before a Mirror
Page 5 of 7ProvenanceCount Ferdinand von Plettenberg, Amsterdam (his sale, Amsterdam, 2 April 1738, no. 57 [for800 florins])
E. van Dishoek, The Hague (his sale, 9 June 1745, no. 35 [1,300 florins; to Wilhelm VIII ofHessen Cassel for 1,300 florins]).
Wilhelm VIII of Hessen Cassel [probably Marquis Voyer d’Argenson, Paris]; (sale, deMontribloud, Paris [Paillet, Julliot & Fils], 9 February 1784, no. 30 [2,501 francs to Paillet];sale, Du Preuil, Paris, 25 November 1811, no. 113 [for 250 francs to Hesse]; sale, Lebrun,Paris, 2 February 1813, no. 239 [to Henri for 240 francs]).
P. J. F. Vrancken, Lokeren (sale, Antwerp, 15 May 1838, no. 43 [for 630 florins to De Lelie,Amsterdam]).
Van Saceghem collection, Ghent, 1842 (sale, Brussels, 2 June 1851, no. 36 [to Tencé, Lille,for 27,200 francs; to Patureau]).
Th. Patureau, Paris (sale, Paris, 20 April 1857, no. 14 [to Etienne le Roy for 19,700 francs]).
H. J. Pfungst, London.
J. van Alen, Rushton Hall, Kettering, 1904, and New York, 1928, no. 47; (his sale, Marg. L.
van Alen Bruguiere et al., Christie’s, London, 5 December 1969, no. 79 [as acquired fromPfungst in 1904]).
Galleria Giorgio Caretto, Turin.
Private collection, Turin, before 1976
(Sale, Finarte Casa D’aste, Rome, 14 November 2006, no. 27)
From whom purchased by the present owner.

Exhibition History
London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, “Dutch Exhibition,” 30 March–10 May 1904, no. 273 (lentby Van Alen, as by Frans van Mieris).
Turin, Galleria Giorgio Caretto, “Mostra di scene di genere: Opere di maestri olandesi efiamminghi del XVII secolo,” 27 October–20 November 1970, no. 40.

References© 2020 The Leiden Collection

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Hoet, Gerard, and Pieter Terwesten. Catalogus of Naamlyst van Schilderyen, met derzelver
pryzen, zedert een langen reeks van jaaren zoo. 3 vols. The Hague, 1752–70, 1: 499, no. 57;
2: 171, no. 35.
Descamps, Jean Baptiste. La vie des peintres flamands, allemands et hollandois: avec desportraits gravés en taille-douce, une indication de leurs principaux ouvrages & des réflexions
sur leurs différentes manières. 4 vols. Paris, 1753–64, 3: 20.
Blanc, Charles. Le Trésor de la Curiosité tiré des Catalogues de vente de Tableaux, Dessins,Estampes, Livres, Marbres, Bronzes, Ivoires, Terres Cuites, Vitrauux, Médailles, Armes,Porcelaines, Meubles, Émaux, Lacques et autres Objets d’Art. Avec diverses Notes &Notices historiques & biographiques. 2 vols. Paris, 1857– 58. 2: 526–27.
Smith, John. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish andFrench Painters. 9 vols. London, 1829–42. 1: 64, no. 7; suppl. 1842, nos. 28 and 37.
Kramm, Christiaan. De levens en werken der Hollandsche en Vlaamsche Kunstschilders,
Beeldhouwers, Graveurs en Bouwmeesters van den vroegsten tot op onzen tijd. 6 vols.
Amsterdam, 1857–64, 4:1125, 1126.
Siret, Adolphe. Dictionnaire historique des peintres de toutes les écoles. Paris, 1883, 55.
Lemcke, Carl. “Frans van Mieris.” In Kunst und Künstler des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit.
Biographien und charakteristiken unter mitwirkung von fachgenossen herausgegeben von Dr.
R. Dohme. Kunst und Kunstler Deutschlands und er Niederlände bis um die Mitte desachtzehnten Jahrhunderts. Edited by Robert Dohme, 2:22. 8 vols. Leipzig, 1878.
Eisenmann, Oscar. Katalog der Königlichen Gemälde-Galerie zu Cassel. Kassel, 1888, LI.
Whitechapel Art Gallery: “Dutch Exhibition.” Exh. cat. London: Whitechapel Art Gallery.
London, 1904, 35, no. 273, as by Frans van Mieris.
Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch
Painters of the Seventeenth Century Based on the Work of John Smith. Edited and translatedby Edward G. Hawke. 10: 23, no. 81. 8 vols. London, 1907–28. Originally published as
Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hervorragendsten höllandischen
Maler des XVII. Jahrhunderts. 10 vols. Esslingen and Paris, 1907–28.
Mireur, Hippolyte. Dictionnaire des ventes d’art faites en France et à l’étranger pendant les
XVIIIe et XIXe siècles. 7 vols. Paris, 1911–12, 5:187.
Bénézit, Emmanuel. Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs,dessinateurs, et graveurs de tous les pays, part un groupe d’écrivains specialistes français etétrangers. 8 vols. Paris, 1948–55, 6:117.
Plietzsch, Eduard. Holländische und flämische Maler des 17. Jahrhunderts. Leipzig, 1960, 52.
Reitlinger, Gerald. The Economics of Taste: The Rise and Fall of Picture Prices, 1760–1960.
London, 1961, 388.
Galleria Giorgia Caretto. Mostra di “Scene di genere”: Opere di maestri olandesi e© 2020 The Leiden CollectionPowered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

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fiamminghi del XVII secolo: esposizione vendita di 115 dipinti d’autore: Galleria Giorgio
Caretto, Torino, 27 ottobre–20 novembre 1970. Exh. cat. Turin, Galleria Giorgio Caretto.
Turin, 1970, [n.p.], no. 40.
Naumann, Otto. “Frans van Mieris as a Draughtsman.” Master Drawings 16 (1978), 21 no. 27.
Naumann, Otto. Frans van Mieris (1635–1681) the Elder. 2 vols. Doornspijk, 1981, 2:56, no.
46a, fig. C 46a.
Buvelot, Quentin. “Recenze/Reviews: Anja K. Šev?ik (ed.), National Gallery in Prague: DutchPaintings of the 17th and 18th Centuries, Illustrated Summary Catalogue.” Um?ní Art 60, no.
6 (2012): 532.

Technical Summary
The support, a single plank of vertically grained, rectangular-shaped oak from the western
Germany-Netherlands regions, is derived from a tree felled after 1608 and has a plausible
creation date from 1618 onward.[1] The unthinned and uncradled panel has bevels on all foursides and two small rectangular wood inserts along the left vertical edge. A red wax collection
seal with a partial impression and an old paper label remnant with an ink inscription from Dr.
Bredius dated 1893 are located along the panel reverse, but there are no import stamps, panel
maker’s marks or machine tool marks.
A light-colored (possibly gray) ground has been thinly and evenly applied followed by paintapplied in thin layers of smooth transparent glazing through the background and with areas of low
brushmarking through the female figure’s white blouse, vermilion cape and the chair over which
the cape is draped.
There are remnants of letters in light paint along the upper right corner, but there is no discernible
signature or date.
No underdrawing or compositional changes are readily apparent in infrared images captured at780–1000 nanometers.
The painting, which was cleaned and restored in 2007 and revarnished in 2010, remains in agood state of preservation.

Technical Summary Endnotes

1. The characterization of the wood is based on Peter Klein’s (undated) dendrochronology
report.

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