The tradition began with Rembrandt and his paintings of his wife, Saskia, as the springtime goddess Flora. Imitating the master, Mieris painted several women in mythological themes between the years of 1680 and 1687. Many of the women appear to be the same model, which suggests that he also used his wife. However, her true identity is still unknown today. In A Portrait of a Woman as Artemis, Willem Van Mieris depicts a semi-nude woman in the guise of the goddess Artemis. This style of painting is classified as a history portrait, which commonly portrayed aristocracy posing in historical, religious and mythological roles.
A student of Rembrandt, Gerrit Dou trained Willem Van Mieris’ father, Frans Van Mieris the Elder. Dou, who had been a student of Rembrandt’s for three years, embraced the style and techniques of Rembrandt, and the tradition of fijnschilders (fine painters) was born. Together, the fijnschilders formed the Guild of St. Luke in Leiden. During the 17th century, the practice of depicting women as goddesses was still fairly common, due to it having many devoted patrons. The invention of the printing press also helped with the extensive distribution of such images.
by Crystal Joiner