A Woman in a Red Jacket feeding a Parrot

Barely visible behind the woman are a bed with curtains on the left and an open door surrounded by foliage on the right.

Van Mieris learnt his meticulous painting technique from Gerrit Dou, the principal master of a group of Leiden painters known as the 'fijnschilders' (literally, fine painters).

The primary version of this composition was formerly dated 1663 (Private Collection, New York); this picture was probably painted shortly after, possibly – though not certainly – by van Mieris himself.