Daniël Mijtens

Key facts

Lived

1590–1647, Dutch

Movement

• Baroque

Works held in

19 museums^[1]

• Portrait of a Gentleman

  Chequers

  Wycombe, United Kingdom

  2 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Charles I (1600–1649), King of England

  Metropolitan Museum of Art

  New York City, United States

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap

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• What is Daniël Mijtens known for?+

  Daniël Mijtens is known for introducing a new naturalism to the English court portrait, replacing the stiff Jacobean style. His full-length royal portraits established the format that Anthony van Dyck later perfected. He was court portraitist to both James I and Charles I of England.
• What is Daniël Mijtens's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name a single, definitive most famous work by Daniël Mijtens. He was a prolific portrait painter, and many of his works are well known. Mijtens was active in the Dutch Republic and England. He is known for his portraits of members of the Dutch and English aristocracy. Mijtens was among the first to paint full-length portraits in the Netherlands. He influenced later artists, such as Anthony van Dyck. Mijtens's style is characterised by attention to detail, particularly in the rendering of fabrics and jewellery. He often depicted his sitters in elegant poses and fashionable attire. Mijtens's portraits provide valuable insight into the appearance and customs of the 17th-century elite. Identifying a single 'most famous' work is subjective, as different portraits may be more or less well known depending on the viewer and collection.
• What should I know about Daniël Mijtens's prints?+

  Daniël Mijtens, or Mytens, was a Dutch-born painter who spent much of his career in England. He is best known for portraiture, and he helped introduce aspects of Dutch Golden Age painting to the British court. Mijtens was born in Delft in about 1590. He trained in The Hague, and by 1618 he was working in London. He painted James I, and he became a favourite of Charles I in the 1620s. His early style was somewhat stiff, but it loosened over time, influenced by artists such as Anthony van Dyck. Mijtens's work is characterised by careful attention to detail, particularly in costume, and a developing sense of naturalism. Although primarily a painter, Mijtens also produced designs for printmakers. These prints, often portraits, circulated his images to a wider audience. Some of these prints were produced as individual works, while others appeared in books. These prints provide valuable records of his painted compositions, and they offer insight into the dissemination of courtly portraiture during the early Stuart period. Mijtens returned to the Netherlands in the 1630s, and he died in The Hague in 1647 or 1648.
• What style or movement did Daniël Mijtens belong to?+

  Daniël Mijtens was a Dutch portraitist who worked in England. He was born in Delft, and by 1610, he had joined the painters' guild in The Hague. Around 1618, he moved to London, succeeding Paul van Somer as the official portraitist for the British court. In 1623, Charles I, after seeing portraits by Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, and Diego Velázquez in the Spanish royal collection, sent Mijtens to Flanders to study this style of court portraiture. Mijtens's portraits, such as those of George Calvert, James Hamilton, and Charles I, display elegant poses and costumes, with a red curtain above to emphasise their social standing, a technique borrowed from Rubens and van Dyck. These elements are associated with the Baroque style, which was emerging across Europe at this time. By 1632, Anthony van Dyck had arrived in England, replacing Mijtens as the leading court painter. Consequently, around 1633, Mijtens returned to the Netherlands, where he became an art agent for Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel.
• What techniques or materials did Daniël Mijtens use?+

  Daniël Mijtens, like many 17th-century painters, likely adhered to established studio practices. These involved using a limited range of colours on the palette, suitable for the specific section of the painting being worked on at that stage. This approach contrasts with later methods where artists employed a full palette to work on the entire painting simultaneously, striving for tonal consistency. Painters in the Baroque era often created paintings in stages, similar to the "giornate" used in fresco painting. After laying in an underpainting, the artist would successively add modulated local colour. This additive technique was connected to the material and economic constraints inherent in oil painting before the introduction of ready-to-use tube colours. The support and materials used by Mijtens probably did not differ significantly from those of his contemporaries. Many painters transitioned from wood panel to canvas during this period, with canvas becoming more popular due to its lower cost, ease of transport, and simpler preparation. The pigments and binding mediums used were also typical for the time and readily available.
• What was Daniël Mijtens known for?+

  Daniël Mijtens, a Dutch Golden Age painter, is best known for his portraiture. Born in Delft around 1590, he trained in The Hague, and became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in 1610. Mijtens gained considerable recognition for his ability to capture likenesses and depict luxurious fabrics. His early style shows the influence of Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt, a leading portraitist of the time. Mijtens's work attracted aristocratic patronage, including commissions from the Stuart court in England. In 1618, he moved to London, where he painted James I, Charles I, and members of the royal family. His portraits from this period are characterised by their formal compositions and attention to detail. Mijtens introduced a new level of naturalism to English portraiture, moving away from the flatter, more stylised approach that had previously dominated. His full-length portraits became particularly fashionable. Around 1630, Anthony van Dyck's arrival in London posed a challenge to Mijtens's position as the leading court painter. Mijtens returned to The Hague in 1634, and continued to paint portraits for Dutch and international clients. He died in The Hague around 1647.
• When did Daniël Mijtens live and work?+

  Daniël Mijtens was a Dutch portrait painter, born around 1590, either in Delft or The Hague. He became a member of the painters’ guild in The Hague by 1610. Mijtens spent a significant portion of his career in England. Around 1618, he moved to London and eventually took over Paul van Somer's position as the official portraitist for the British court. In 1623, Charles I, after seeing works by Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, and Diego Velázquez, sent Mijtens to Flanders to study court portraiture. Mijtens received an annual pension from 1624. He was named "one of our picture-drawers for life" when Charles was crowned in 1625. He was also granted a house with a walled garden off Trafalgar Square. Mijtens created many full-length portraits of Charles I. However, in 1632, Anthony van Dyck's arrival in England led to his displacement as the leading court painter. Consequently, around 1633, Mijtens returned to the Netherlands. There, he acted as an art agent for Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel. Mijtens died around 1647 in The Hague.
• Where can I see Daniël Mijtens's work?+

  Daniël Mijtens's paintings can be found in numerous collections, both public and private. Many galleries exhibit his work, including the Mauritshuis in The Hague, the Netherlands; the Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen in Berlin; and the National Gallery in London. Mijtens's paintings are also held at the Amsterdam Historical Museum, the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), the Museum Van Loon (Amsterdam), the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis (The Hague), the Frans Hals Museum (Haarlem), the Museum Boymans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam), and the Centraal Museum (Utrecht). Outside the Netherlands, his works can be viewed at the Koninklijk Museum van Schone Kunsten (Antwerp), the Paleis Het Loo Nationaal Museum (Apeldoorn), the National Gallery of Scotland (Edinburgh), and the Alte Pinakothek, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (Munich). In the United States, museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art^[3] (New York), the Wadsworth Atheneum (Hartford, Connecticut), and the Currier Museum of Art (Manchester, New Hampshire) also hold examples of his art.
• Where was Daniël Mijtens from?+

  Daniël Mijtens was born in Delft, a city in the Netherlands. By 1610, he had joined the painters’ guild in The Hague. Around 1618, he moved to London, succeeding Paul van Somer as the official portraitist for the British court. In 1623, Charles I, after viewing works by Titian, Peter Paul Rubens, and Diego Velázquez in the Spanish royal collection, sent Mijtens to Flanders. The purpose was for Mijtens to study and learn their approach to court portraiture. By about 1633, he returned to the Netherlands, where he became an art agent for Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel. Mijtens died in The Hague around 1647. Mijtens's portraits include George Calvert, Lord of Baltimore (1627), James, First Duke of Hamilton (1629), and Charles I of England (1628). These paintings show figures in elegant poses and costumes, with a red curtain above to emphasise their social rank; this element was borrowed from Rubens and van Dyck.
• Who did Daniël Mijtens influence?+

  Daniël Mijtens's influence is most apparent in the work of his nephew, also named Daniël Mijtens (c. 1644-1688), and in the career of Anthony van Dyck. Mijtens had an established practice as a portraitist in London, working for the royal family, when Van Dyck arrived in 1632. Van Dyck's fresh Baroque style soon displaced Mijtens's more conservative, Netherlandish approach. According to some accounts, Mijtens recognised Van Dyck's superior talent. He supposedly told Charles I that Van Dyck was a much better painter, and requested permission to return to the Netherlands. Other historians suggest the situation was more complex, with courtly and political factors playing a role in Van Dyck's ascendance. Regardless of the exact circumstances, Van Dyck became the dominant influence on English portraiture for a generation. Mijtens returned to The Hague, where he continued to work, but his earlier impact on British art was somewhat eclipsed by Van Dyck's success. His nephew, Daniël Mijtens the Younger, followed in his uncle's footsteps, painting portraits in a style that reflects both his uncle's training and the broader influence of the Flemish Baroque.
• Who influenced Daniël Mijtens?+

  Daniël Mijtens, a Dutch Golden Age painter, was influenced by several artists and movements. He likely received his initial training within his family; his uncle, Aert Mijtens, was a painter in The Hague. Mijtens's early work shows the influence of Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt, a leading portrait painter in the Netherlands. Mierevelt's style, characterised by its realism and attention to detail, is evident in Mijtens's early portraits. Another important influence was Anthony van Dyck. After van Dyck's brief stay in The Hague in 1621, Mijtens adopted some of the Flemish master's more baroque and elegant approach to portraiture. This is visible in Mijtens's use of more dynamic compositions and a greater emphasis on capturing the sitter's personality. Mijtens also studied the work of other contemporary Dutch painters, such as Cornelis van der Voort and Johannes Verspronck. These artists contributed to the development of Dutch portraiture during the period. Mijtens synthesised these various influences into his own distinctive style, which was popular among the Dutch and English aristocracy.
• Who was Daniël Mijtens?+

  Daniël Mijtens (circa 1590-1647/48) was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter, active mainly in England. Born in Delft, he trained in The Hague, becoming a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in 1610. Mijtens moved to London and by 1618 was working for the royal family. He became a leading portraitist at the court of James I, and later Charles I. His early style shows the influence of Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt and Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen. He produced relatively naturalistic likenesses, often at full length, and he popularised the format of the life-sized portrait in England. His noted works include portraits of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (circa 1623), Charles I as a young man (1624), and The Duke and Duchess of Buckingham (1626). Mijtens's workshop was prolific, producing numerous copies and versions of his royal portraits. Around 1630, the arrival of Anthony van Dyck in London presented Mijtens with serious competition. Although he remained in favour with the court, van Dyck's more flamboyant Baroque style soon became the dominant influence. Mijtens returned to The Hague in 1634, where he continued to paint portraits, including those of the stadtholders William II of Orange and Frederick Henry of Orange.