This mid-19th-century oil painting by Dutch artist Frans van der Mijn (1719-1783) depicts a gentleman in half-length wearing a white stock, grey woollen coat, powdered wig, and ivory waistcoat. It’s presented in a feigned oval. Van der Mijn was an exceedingly talented portraitist, renowned for his ‘considerable merit as an artist’ but also his apparent lack of decorum.
Standing in a forthright fashion, with his chest out, silver embroidery gleaming, and silk waistcoat shimmering, it’s a display of comfortable wealth and status. It’s 1758, he’s unquestionably completed his Grand Tour and matured into a man of substance. It’s interesting to compare his attire with that of the four younger men in Nathaniel Dance’s conversation piece from around the same time.
Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, van der Mijn’s early tuition was provided by his father, Herman van der Mijn (1684-1741), an esteemed painter of portraits and flower pieces. Several of his siblings also established themselves as artists of note, especially his younger brother, George van der Mijn (1723-1763) and sister Cornelia van der Mijn (1709-1782), who worked for a time in the circle of Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750).
Between 1741 and the early 1750s, he lived in Amsterdam and The Hague, where he established a substantial reputation. His exquisite allegorical piece from 1842, titled ‘A Lady in a Landscape with a Fly on her Shoulder: An Allegory of Touch’, which he produced at just 23, is a testament to his rapid development.
From here, he travelled to England, where he spent time in London, Cambridge and Norwich working for various aristocratic patrons, such as Thomas Harrison of Bletchley Park and Sir Henry Erskine, 5th Baronet of Alba. His portrait of Sir Thomas Robinson, 1st Baronet of Rokeby, Yorkshire, is held at the National Portrait Gallery. In 1761, he began sending works to the newly founded Society of Artists of Great Britain, which later became the Free Society of Artists.
However, it’s apparent that alongside his notoriety as a portraitist, he also developed a less-welcome reputation for smoking and drinking, as described by Edward Edwards ARA (1738-1806) in ‘Anecdotes Of Painters Who Have Resided Or Been Born In England’ (1808).
"He had considerable merit as an artist, but was of mean address and vulgar manners: He loved smoking and drinking, nor would forego his pipe, though it was offensive to his employers, so that he never acquired the practice which he might otherwise have obtained.” In 1783, he died unceremoniously in London.
As we look back on the oeuvre of this fascinating Dutchman, we’re left with the stinging feeling that his lifestyle hindered his abundant potential. However, that said, despite his conspicuous excesses, he’s still done a rather splendid job here.
He’s represented in numerous public collections, including at The British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and The Fitzwilliam Museum.
Signed in the lower left, dated and held in an 18th-century carved giltwood frame, which is probably original.
Learn more about Frans Van Der Mijn in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 29½” x 34½” / 75cm x 87cm
Year of creation: 1758
Provenance: Private collection, Gloucestershire, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Later stretcher. Frame is showing its age and was probably reduced in size at some point.
Artist’s auction maximum: £25,000 for ‘A Lady in a Landscape with a Fly on her Shoulder: An Allegory of Touch (1742)’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, Old Master & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings & Watercolours, London, 8 December 2010 (lot 131).
Our reference: BRV2134
