Lot 282: MICHIEL JANSZ. VAN MIEREVELT

MICHIEL JANSZ. VAN MIEREVELT DELFT 1567 - 1641 DOUBLE PORTRAIT OF A HUSBAND AND WIFE, HE HOLDING A TULIP AND BULB, A SELECTION OF SHELLS ON THE SHELF BELOW signed lower left (partly strengthened): M.J. Miere...lt and inscribed and dated upper left: AE...tis 3(9?)/1609 ( AE in compendium) oil on panel 32 1/2 by 25 5/8 in.; 82.5 by 65 cm.

Tulips were highly prized in 17th century Holland and were symbols of prosperity. While the tulip and tulip bulb depicted in this double portrait certainly allude to the sitters' wealth, they may also allude to the brevity of life. The tulip flower emerges from the bulb, is briefly in bloom and dies. The empty shells on the table are an additional symbol of departed life. Given these symbols, it is possible that this is a commemorative portrait commissioned by one of the sitters, probably the husband, after the death of the other.