Pictura (An Allegory of Painting)

Frans van Mieris the Elder

1661

Oil on copper, Oil, Copper

J. Paul Getty Museum

A woman holds a painter's palette and brushes, adorned with a gold chain around her neck from which hang a theatrical mask and a small sculpture of a nude figure. Images depicting the allegory of art were traditionally used to classify painting as one of the liberal arts. A woman, usually idealized, personifies Pictura (Painting) and holds objects vital to artistic creation. In her left hand she holds a palette, brushes, and a small plaster sculpture that served as a model for larger works. Around her neck she wears a mask on a chain, which may refer to art's ability to deceive through the art of illusion. Frans van Mieris the Elder adopted the antique model of Pictura but updated it for his time. The model is not classically beautiful or idealized; she is an average young woman observed from