Mieris

Family of Dutch painters. They all specialized in genre scenes. The best known is Frans van Mieris the Elder (1635-1681); the others are his sons Jan (1660-1690) and Willem (1662-1747), and Willem's son Frans van Mieris the Younger (1689-1763).

Frans van Mieris the Elder was the pupil of Gerard Dou and is known for his courtly conversation pieces such as The Cavalier and Lacemaker (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna). His son Jan van Mieris, who also painted genre scenes, died young and his works are rare. His second son Willem van Mieris also imitated his father's style, many of his paintings being of equal merit. Willem's son Frans van Mieris the Younger continued in a rather weaker manner the tradition of his father and grandfather, but is better known as an antiquary and historian.

Among the works published by Frans van Mieris the Younger are Historie der nederlandsche vorsten 1732-35 and Groot charterboek der graven van Holland, van Zeeland en heren van Vriesland 1753-56.