 Miel’s first dated paintings from the 1630s already show the influence of Pieter van Laer and the Bamboccianti in that they depict low-class subjects engaged in their normal business or at play.Popular subjects included morra players, gamblers, village dances, quacks, barbers, cobblers, itinerant musicians and actors, etc.Examples of his early work in this genre include "The bowls players" (Louvre) and "The cobbler" (Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'archéologie de Besançon), both produced in 1633.