(1567 - 1641)
Michiel Janszoon van Mierevelt was born in Delft; the son of a goldsmith. He trained under Anthonie Blocklandt in Utrecht and later under ‘Augustyn’ in Delft. From 1604 he lived in The Hague, painting portraits for the stadholder court of the princes of Orange-Nassau and, from 1625, becoming a member of the Guild of St Luke. That year Charles I and Prince Henry encouraged him to move to London but he refused because of an outbreak of plague. His pupils included his sons, Pieter and Jan; Paulus Moreelse, Jacobus Delff Willem and others. He also collaborated with Jan Martsen, who painted landscapes backgrounds for some of his portraits. Distinguishing Mierevelt’s hand is complicated by his habit of signing copies by his studio assistants.
