Allegory of the Arts

This panel depicts a female figure, the personification of Painting, being crowned with laurel leaves, a traditional symbol of the arts, by the male personification of Poetry.

Toorenvliet’s work is rooted in the traditions of the Leiden school of painting. The so-called fijnschilders (fine-painters), specialised in scenes full of minute detail, executed in a highly polished style. Toorenvliet’s teacher, Dou, was the biggest influence on the style, and artists such as Toorenvliet and Frans van Mieris the Elder, were among its most successful practitioners.