Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

17th C Portrait of a Gentleman in three-quarter-length, Attr. to Nicolaes Maes

$54,810.52
£40,405
€46,000
CA$75,040.92
A$83,225.94
CHF 43,706.18
MX$1,022,073.74
NOK 553,278.79
SEK 521,749.31
DKK 350,074.81
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

The 39-year-old gentleman had himself portrayed as an aristocrat in an idyllic landscape. At the time, parks and forests were associated with the nobility's lands and pastimes. The sitter's social position is also evident from his fashion-conscious look. He has put on a reddish-brown justacorps (a knee-length coat) with gold-coloured buttons. Under this vest, he seems to be wearing a simple white cravat. The blue sash with gold trim around the man's waist can mark (high) military rank. This accessory was usually part of formal military attire. In some cases, the sash could also indicate the membership of a militia guild (like the "Kolveniers"). The gentleman's long, curled locks fall on his red cloak. This is again another element that gives the portrayed a distinguished appearance. The slightly twisted pose of the sitter lends depth to the composition. His graceful posture – holding his right hand in his loin and letting his left armrest on a railing - clearly breaks with the stiff Dutch portraits of the first half of the 17th century. At the end of the 17th century, the atmosphere could be a bit more playful and frivolous. The style and painterly quality of the work indicate that Nicolaes Maes and his studio assistants painted the portrait. Although the master of Dordrecht painted portraits and genre scenes at the beginning of his career, he profiled himself comprehensively as a portrait painter from the late 1650s onwards. From about 1670, Maes chose to portray his clients in an idealized environment with allures that referred to the upper class, as is the case for this gentleman's portrait. When the artist settled in Amsterdam in 1673, his clientele expanded considerably. In addition to notables from Dordrecht and Utrecht, administrators of the VOC, naval officers, professors and theologians from Amsterdam and other cities knocked on his door to immortalize themselves on canvas. The increase in orders resulted in Maes' atelier working very efficiently to meet the high demand. Customers could choose a portrait-type from several standardized examples of portrait formulas. In other words, they could select a particular pose, specific gestures and backgrounds in advance. The lively portrait of this elegant gentleman has a balanced composition and certainly appeals through the psychologistic of the sitter's personality. Despite the excellent quality of the painting, several technical aspects suggest that the portrait is the result of partly studio work. The provenance of the portrait is difficult to trace. The painting is in an old photograph of one of the castles 'Ter Meeren' rooms in Zaventem. The estate was owned by Auguste Braun, a lawyer at the Court of Cassation in Belgium. Did the portrait belong to Mr Braun's family property, or did he purchase it ? Would it be possible that the portrait was bought together with the castle owned by noble families for centuries ?
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 43.31 in (110 cm)Width: 36.62 in (93 cm)Depth: 3.94 in (10 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    -
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses.
  • Seller Location:
    Leuven , BE
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 19101stDibs: LU3301144773892

More From This Seller

View All
17th Century Flemish School, Saint Francis In Extasy, Oil on Oak Panel
Located in Leuven , BE
This 17th century panel painting is a depiction of a praying Franciscan monk, or of Saint Francis. The grey-brown habit, the skull and the book are ...
Category

Antique 17th Century Belgian Decorative Art

Materials

Oak, Paint

17th C representation of a peasants couple, the man partly dressed up as a noble
Located in Leuven , BE
17th C representation of a peasants couple ,the man partly dressed up as a nobleman.Flemish school,Oil on panel. Oil on panel, 22.7 x 34 cm. The woman is wearing the commoners outfit...
Category

Antique 17th Century Belgian Paintings

Materials

Hardwood

After Philips Wouwerman, Stop of the Travelers, Oil on Panel
Located in Leuven , BE
“Stop of the travelers” is a charming scene depicting several characters, horses and dogs with a backdrop of woods and a small house. The composition used here is a typical character...
Category

Antique 17th Century Belgian Paintings

Materials

Oak, Paint

17th C Landscape Painting with Staffage, Noblewoman with Squire, Oil on Copper.
Located in Leuven , BE
17th C Landscape Painting with Staffage, Noblewoman with Squire, Oil on Copper.
Category

Antique 17th Century Dutch Paintings

Materials

Copper

Portrait of an Ottoman Elite Woman, Venetian School, 17th Century
Located in Leuven , BE
This evocative three-quarter length portrait, executed in the Venetian School during the 17th century, depicts an imagined figure of an elite Ottoman woman, rendered in rich oils on ...
Category

Antique 17th Century Italian Paintings

Materials

Canvas

François de Hérain, Portrait of a Man, Drawing on Paper
Located in Leuven , BE
François de Hérain (1877-1962) was a French painter, sculpture and engraver. He realized a number of paintings of scenes in French Algeria and Morocco. He wa...
Category

20th Century French Drawings

Materials

Paper

You May Also Like

Early 18th-Century Baroque Portrait of a Nobleman
Located in 263-0031, JP
An oil-on-canvas full-scale portrait of a standing man in costume typical of the Baroque era of c. 1720, France. Purchased from a dealer in Geneva, Switzerland. The canvas is in good...
Category

Antique Early 18th Century French Paintings

Materials

Canvas

19 Century English Portrait of an Aristocratic Gentleman in the Manner of Rubens
By Peter Paul Rubens
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A 19th C three quarter length portrait of an aristocratic gentleman with his personal valet shown behind him. The young man with flowing long hair is portrayed from the waist up and ...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century English Renaissance Paintings

Materials

Canvas

A 19th Century Portrait Painting of a Danish Gentleman by Hans Hansen
Located in Sakskøbing, DK
A striking oil portrait by Danish artist Hans Hansen (1796- 1828), known for his refined depictions of the era’s aristocrats and elite. Active in the late 18th and early 19th centuri...
Category

Antique 19th Century Danish Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Giltwood, Paint

17th-Century Flemish School, Portrait Of A Gentleman In A Justaucorps
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This fine late 17th-century Flemish portrait depicts a distinguished gentleman wearing a justaucorps, black cloak, white shirt, vest, leather gloves, and breeches. He’s carrying a wi...
Category

1670s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Antique Portrait of Dutch General Gerard Pietersz, Hulft, c.1670
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique portrait titled 'De Ed. Hr. Gerard Hulft, Eerste Raedt en Directeur Generael van Indien, Opper Bevelhebber over de Krygs-Mach soo te Water als te Lande afgesonden na Ceylon en de kusten van Indien'. Old portrait of Gerard Pietersz. Hulft (1621-1656), a Dutch East India general sent with a fleet to Ceylon. Source unknown, to be determined. Artists and Engravers: Made by 'A. Blooteling' after 'G. Flinck'. Abraham Blooteling (1634-1690) was an eminent Dutch designer and engraver. Govert Flinck...
Category

Antique 17th Century Prints

Materials

Paper

Flemish School of the 17th century "Portrait of a Child"
Located in Madrid, ES
Flemish School of the 17th century "Portrait of a Child" Oil on canvas label on the back with coat of arms 77.5 x 63 cm without frame 85.5 x 71 cm with frame good condition
Category

Antique Early 17th Century Dutch Baroque Paintings

Materials

Paint