Nicolaes Maes Art
Dutch, 1634-1693
Nicolaes Maes was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre and portraits. He was born in Dordrecht, the son of Gerrit Maes, a prosperous merchant, and Ida Herman Claesdr. In about 1648, he went to Amsterdam, where he entered Rembrandt's studio. Before his return to Dordrecht in 1653, Maes painted a few Rembrandtesque genre pictures, with life-size figures and in a deep glowing scheme of color, like The Reverie at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Card Players at the National Gallery, and The Children with a Goat Carriage. So closely did his early style resemble that of Rembrandt, that the last-named picture, and other canvases in the Leipzig and Budapest galleries and in the collection of Lord Radnor, were or are still ascribed to Rembrandt. In his best period, from 1655–65, Maes devoted himself to the domestic genre on a smaller scale, retaining to a great extent the magic of color he had learned from Rembrandt. Only on rare occasions did he treat scriptural subjects, as in Hagar's Departure, which has been ascribed to Rembrandt. His favorite subjects were women spinning, or reading the Bible, or preparing a meal. Maes had a particular fascination with the subject of lacemaking and made almost a dozen versions on this subject. While he continued to reside in Dordrecht until 1673, when Maes settled in Amsterdam, he visited or even lived in Antwerp between 1665–67. His Antwerp period coincides with a complete change in style and subject. He devoted himself almost exclusively to portraiture and abandoned the intimacy and glowing color harmonies of his earlier work for a careless elegance which suggests the influence of Van Dyck. So great indeed was the change, that it gave rise to the theory of the existence of another Maes, of Brussels. His registered pupils were Justus de Gelder, Margaretha van Godewijk, Jacob Moelaert, and Johannes Vollevens. Maes died in Amsterdam. Maes is well represented at the London National Gallery by five paintings: The Cradle, The Dutch Housewife, The Idle Servant, The Card Players, and a man's portrait. At Amsterdam, besides the splendid examples to be found at the Rijksmuseum, is The Inquisitive Servant of the Six collections. At Buckingham Palace is The Listening Girl (repetitions exist), and at Apsley House Selling Milk and The Listener. Other notable examples are at the Berlin, Brussels, St Petersburg, the Hague, Frankfort, Hanover, Ottawa and Munich galleries.
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Artist: Nicolaes Maes
A pair of Dutch 17th century old master portraits of a husband and wife
By Nicolaes Maes
Located in Bath, Somerset
A rare pair of three-quarter length 'marriage' portraits by one of the foremost dutch portrait painters of the 17th century, Nicolaes Maes (Dordrecht 1634-1693 Amsterdam). The gentleman signed middle left 'Maes 1679'. Oil on canvas in dutch style ebonised frames. Dimensions 58 x 47.5cms each.
The gentleman is shown in a landscape at dusk, leaning against a stone capital, wearing a white chemise decorated with lace, a black coat and a brown silk cloak draped across his body.
The lady is elegantly dressed in an ivory silk gown decorated with jewels on the neckline and shoulders, the contrasting sleeves in gold fabric, with a rose pink silk cloak draped over her shoulder and bodice. She wears a pearl necklace and earrings with her fair hair worn up with ringlets falling down onto her chest in the fashionable style of the day. She stands with one hand touching a lock of her hair as she rests her arm on the bowl of a stone water drinking fountain...
Category
17th Century Old Masters Nicolaes Maes Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
17th century portrait of a lady
By Nicolaes Maes
Located in Bath, Somerset
Portrait of a lady by Dutch Golden Age painter Nicolaes Maes (1634-1693). Half-length, within a feigned oval, the lady wears a pearl necklace and earrings, an ivory silk gown adorned...
Category
17th Century Old Masters Nicolaes Maes Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
17th century portrait of a lady
By Nicolaes Maes
Located in Bath, Somerset
Portrait of a lady richly dressed in a purple silk gown with white sleeves, a gold coloured cloak draped across one shoulder, her blonde curls worn up...
Category
17th Century Old Masters Nicolaes Maes Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Noble Lady
By Nicolaes Maes
Located in New Orleans, LA
Signed and dated "N MAE / 1691" (lower right)
Oil on canvas
A masterful example of 17th-century Dutch portraiture, this magnificent oil on canvas comes alive with luminous color, dramatic contrast and extraordinary detail. The work was composed by Nicolaes Maes, an artist widely regarded as the most prominent portrait painter of his era in Amsterdam. Fashionably styled, Portrait of a Noble Lady exemplifies the mature style of Maes, executed with the same artistry and attention to detail he imparted on his most important private commissions.
This work by Maes comes from the second half of his career and follows in the rich tradition of the great Flemish Baroque painters Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck. Like these artists, Maes excels at not only capturing his subjects with a technical perfection but also their inherent elegance and grace. The sitter is draped in luxurious white and red silks and pearls, underscoring the importance and prosperity of his wealthy clientele. She is placed against a dark backdrop, enabling a striking chiaroscuro effect characteristic of the artist’s portraits.
Maes’s immense talent for detail and composition is clearly evident. In both palette and proportion, it embodies the somewhat austere style preferred by the artist, which emphasized a painstaking study of the costumes, hairstyles and accessories of his subjects. Such elaborate and highly detailed costuming in portraiture was a fashionable way to show one's wealth in the 17th century, particularly among the emerging class of wealthy merchants. Similar works by the painter can be found in the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), National Gallery (London), National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and Philadelphia Museum of Art, among others.
Nicolaes Maes was born in Dordrecht in 1634 to a prosperous cloth merchant. Around 1848, he moved to Amsterdam to study under Rembrandt for several years before returning to his native Dordrecht, where he established himself as a painter of genre scenes and portraits. In the 1650s, Maes traveled to Antwerp where he studied the work of Flemish artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens...
Category
17th Century Baroque Nicolaes Maes Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
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Portrait of a Young Lady Beside a Fountain
By Nicolaes Maes
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Nicolaes Maes (1634-1693) was born in Dordrecht and was the son of Gerrit Maes, a prosperous merchant. In c.1648 he went to Amsterdam and became a pupil of Rembrandt, learning from his masters use of deep intensity of colour in his work. In this period he painted mostly genre scenes such as women lacemaking or reading the Bible, before returning to Dordrecht in 1653. In c. 1660 Maes began specialising in portraits, moving away from the Rembrandt style...
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18th Century and Earlier Nicolaes Maes Art
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Oil
Nicolaes Maes art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Nicolaes Maes art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Nicolaes Maes in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 18th century and earlier and is mostly associated with the Old Masters style. Not every interior allows for large Nicolaes Maes art, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Studio of Sir Peter Lely, Sir Godfrey Kneller, Flemish School, and 17th Century. Nicolaes Maes art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $20,386 and tops out at $88,500, while the average work can sell for $50,965.