The Oyster Meal

This painting is one of the many copies of a very popular picture, The oyster meal, executed in 1661 by Frans van Mieris the Elder (Mauristhuis, The Hague). It shows an illegitimate couple formed by a young woman and an older man in the act of offering her a plate of oysters, a dish known, as well as the wine, for its aphrodisiac virtues. As she is taking one oyster and holding the glass of wine, it is clear that the girl accepts the man's proposal, the curtained bed behind them being an allusion of the consequences. As a Leiden 'Fine' painter, Frans van Mieris was particularly skilled in representing all sorts of textures: here the fur-trimmed cape and a silk white dress are masterly rendered as well as the sparkles of light reflecting in the jar, the tin plate and the glass. Frans van Mieris was particularly attentive to make his brushstrokes invisible.

He expanded significantly the range of subjects commonly depicted in Leiden and influenced other contemporary masters such as Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667), Jan Steen (ca. 1625-1679), Jacob Ochtervelt (1634-1682) and Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675).