MIE'RIS, FRANS, the elder, 1635-81; b. Holland; studied under Abraham Toorne Vliet, a celebrated Dutch designer, and afterwards under Gerard Dow, who called him the prince of his scholars. The subject which Mieris most frequently treats is domestic life. He was a brilliant colorist, and superior to Dow himself in his treatment of stuffs and textures, particularly rich materials like velvet and satin. His pictures are rare and command a high price. His portrait of the wife of Cornelius Plaats is considered one of his finest works. The Florence gallery has many of his pictures. His son, IV'LLIA3t, 1662,-1747, was also an artist. He had attained a considerable degree of skill under the direction of his father, upon whose death he turned his attention to making studies from nature. His earlier works portray domestic scenes, in the manner of his father; after wards he took up historical and romantic subjects. His painting of Rinaldo sleeping in
the lap of Armida, surrounded by the loves and graces, was so successful that he treated the same subject three times afterwards. He also painted in landscape and modeled in clay with considerable skill. His landscapes are not always natural, and in his historical compositions his costumes are often inappropriate. He is surpassed by his father in elaboration and exactness, but surpasses him in the brilliancy of his coloring and the representation of natural objects. FRANCIS MrEms, sometimes called Francis the younger, 1689-1763, was the son of William, with whom he studied art. But he never attained high rank as an artist, his efforts in that direction being mostly confined to copying the pictures of his father and grandfather. His tastes were for historical and antiquarian researches.