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Nicolaes Maes

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493: 440: 632: 233:(Disaster Year) of 1672, which was marked by a large-scale invasion of the Dutch Republic by French and other armies, likely also played a role. Maes must have counted on his fashionable portrait paintings to attract the patronage of Amsterdam's larger population of prosperous burghers. His calculation was correct as Maes was so much in demand as a portraitist in Amsterdam that sitters considered it a favour to be given the chance to have the artist paint their portrait. The great number of portraits dating to the 1670s and 1680s are evidence of his success as a society portraitist. His pupils in Dordrecht included his stepson 264: 172: 467:
Dutch Republic in the previous decade. From this time onwards, Maes employed staging and accessories often seen in Flemish portraiture. In the 1670s Maes' style further developed to reflect the lighter spirit of the times as he places his sitters in elegant gardens painted in light tones and with a free brushstroke. These later portraits emphasize the gestures and poses, as well as the clothes and hairstyles of the models. The stylistic evolution of his portraits shows the influence of developments in Flemish and French portraiture.
394: 31: 359: 212: 906: 509: 200:. During his stay in Antwerp Maes is said to have paid a visit to Jordaens' studio and conversed with the artist at length about painting. From the 1660s, he dedicated himself almost exclusively to portrait painting. He continued to live and work in Dordrecht until 1673. He was clearly successful as attested by the fact that he paid municipal taxes on capital of 3,000 and 4,000 1152: 471:
who would be leaning against a prop such as a column, fountain or rock. The setting was often a terrace or garden against a sunset sky. He also created many group portraits of families or just children shown at full length amidst a landscape. During the 1670s and early 1680s he painted several portraits of children in the guise of mythological figures such as
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Maes created some works showing everyday events occurring on the doorstep of a private house such as milkmaids ringing the doorbell or receiving payment or boys asking for alms. Maes was able to bestow on these mundane transactions a solemn dignity. Another theme treated by Maes in the mid-1650s are
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Maes painted hundreds of portraits during his mature period. These were mostly executed in two standardised formats: the first used a small rectangular canvas to depict a half-length figure within a painted oval in a while the second used on a larger format to depict a three-quarter-length figure,
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In his earlier portraits Maes places his sitters who are typically dressed and presented in an austere manner against a dark background. Maes' mature style was formed during the 1660s and shows the influence of the Flemish style of portraiture created by van Dyck, which had been introduced into the
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for 20 years. In the latter part of his career he returned to Amsterdam where he became the leading portrait painter of his time. Maes contributed to the development of genre painting in the Netherlands and was the most prominent portrait painter working in Amsterdam in the final three decades of
168:'s studio. He remained in the studio of Rembrandt for about five years. He had returned to Dordrecht by December 1653. Here he is recorded making marriage arrangements as he posted on 28 December 1653 the bans of his marriage with Adriana Brouwers, the widow of the preacher Arnoldus de Gelder. 449:
Maes' major contribution in the depiction of interior space was to treat domestic interiors not as shallow, three-walled boxes but as suites of rooms. These innovations in the structuring of interior space were likely inspired by the new story element he introduced in genre painting. These
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derived from Rembrandt. Between 1654 and 1658, he created a large number of pictures of spinners, lace makers and mothers with children that express the contemporary moralistic view of the value of family life and quiet diligence. An example is
572: 344:. By showing Hagar's despondency and Ishmael's isolated posture the work is one of the most moving renderings of this theme, popular with Rembrandt's pupils. Most of Maes' religious compositions are of cabinet size except for the 424:) which depicts a housewife sewing a shirt in a very tidy interior. An open Bible at her side implies that she is also clean and pious in spirit. A little boy at the window may indicate that the composition is a depiction of 428:, 10-19 about working hard and stretching the hand to the poor and the needy. Maes has thus transformed a simple domestic scene into an evocation of the exercise of dignity and moral uprightness in a true biblical sense. 373: 602: 484: 260:' (citizen of Amsterdam), but as a resident. During his life he achieved financial success, as at his death his estate included 11,000 guilders in cash, two houses in Dordrecht and three houses in Amsterdam. 884: 555: 345: 295: 221:
Maes moved to Amsterdam in 1673, where he resided until his death. The move was likely related to the ready market for portrait specialists after the death of the leading Amsterdam portrait painters
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1653, Russell collection, Amsterdam). Maes' biblical compositions were clearly indebted to his master Rembrandt's models but show at the same time that he was capable of interpreting the
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in particular in the compositional arrangements of people in interior spaces. Maes' exterior genre scenes may also have been influential on de Hooch's courtyard views.
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His paintings of domestic interiors showing women engaged in household tasks are endowed with a solemn dignity through the play of light and shadow and the limited
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Despite his long-term residency in Amsterdam starting from 1673, Maes never became a citizen of Amsterdam. He waited until 1688 to register with the Amsterdam
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Also spelt Nicolaes Maas, Nicolas Maes, Nikolas Maes, Nicolas Maas, Nicolaes Maas, Nicolaas Maas, Nicolaas Maes, Nicholaes Maes, Nicholas Maes
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Pastoral family portrait of four children, personifying mythological figures, including Ganymede, and Diana with a deer, all in a landscape
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In his early years as an independent artist in the early 1650s Maes painted a few biblical and mythological scenes. These include the
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elderly female figures shown in half or three-quarter length such as an elderly woman saying grace before a simple meal, praying amid
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A signed and dated picture of 1653 shows that the artist had established himself as an independent artist by that year.
263: 256:, only after the municipality had demanded a list of members from the Guild. Maes registered with the Guild not as a ' 862: 775: 732: 721: 668: 650: 382:) and others praising the virtues of good parenting. These works were influential on other Dutch painters such as 329: 226: 171: 164:
He initially trained with a mediocre painter in his hometown. Around 1648, he went to Amsterdam, where he entered
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as the second son of Gerrit Maes, a prosperous cloth merchant and soap boiler, and Ida Herman Claesdr.
358: 483:, either as single figure or in a family group. He further painted one group portrait of a guild, the 234: 1177: 1172: 643: 472: 278: 819: 398: 253: 704: 368:
During this early period Maes showed himself to be among the most inventive genre painters in the
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to domestic scenes that were the favourite subject matter of Dutch genre artists of his time.
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van Suchtelen, Ariane; Cornelis, Bart; Schapelhouman, Marijn; Cahill, Nina (2019).
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in the final years of his life. His wife Adriana Brouwers was buried in the
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on 14 March 1690. On 24 December 1693, he was buried alongside his wife.
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inventions had an important influence on Delft genre painters including
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Portrait of a young nobleman with two dogs in a wooded landscape
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in Amsterdam, he returned to work in his native city of
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precedents in an original manner. For instance, in the
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where he studied the work of Flemish artists such as
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In the middle or end of the 1650s, Maes traveled to
111: 103: 93: 83: 68: 50: 21: 863:Portrait of Margaretha de Geer, Wife of Jacob Trip 636:Four children as Ceres, Ganymede, Cherub and Diana 608:- Oil on panel, 46,3 x 72,2 cm, Private collection 514:- Oil on canvas, 113 x 89.4 cm, Private collection 956:at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid 107:genre scenes, portraits, religious compositions 1075:Walter A. Liedtke, Michiel Plomp, Axel Rüger, 486:Six Governors of the Amsterdam Surgeons' Guild 375:A young boy receiving alms from an elderly man 208:, in which he reached the rank of lieutenant. 1127:Nicolaes Maes: Dutch Master of the Golden Age 8: 510:Portrait of Laurence Hyde, Earl of Rochester 136:, religious compositions and the occasional 444:Portrait of a young man in fantasy costume 297:Suffer the little Children to come unto Me 29: 18: 1070: 1068: 357: 262: 210: 929: 907:Portrait of William the Third of Orange 980: 978: 976: 974: 972: 970: 968: 966: 964: 962: 946: 944: 942: 720:- Oil on canvas, 89,6 x 71,2 cm, 574:Admiral Cornelis Evertsen the Youngest 1028:Netherlands Institute for Art History 1019: 1017: 1001: 999: 997: 995: 993: 687:Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium 7: 796:- Oil on canvas, 134 x 113 cm, 300:(1652/3, London, National Gallery), 894:- Oil on canvas, 71 x 57 cm, 872:- Oil on canvas, 88 x 68 cm, 850:- Oil on canvas, 88 x 68 cm, 814:- Oil on canvas, 66 x 54 cm, 603:Eavesdropper with a Scolding Woman 489:(1680–81, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam). 14: 1047:at the Metropolitan Museum of Art 1150: 436:symbols or dozing over a Bible. 290:Biblical and mythological scenes 758:Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel 685:- Oil on canvas, 135 x 105 cm, 543:- Oil on canvas, 150 x 112 cm, 525:- Oil on canvas, 216 x 174 cm, 1044:Dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael 590:- Oil on canvas, 109 x 92 cm, 561:-Oil on canvas, 206 x 154 cm, 325:Dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael 268:Dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael 1: 889: 867: 845: 832:- Oil on canvas, 92 x 122 c, 791: 769: 703:- Oil on canvas, 90 x 72 cm, 417: 311: 39: 1077:Vermeer and The Delft School 885:Portrait of Simon van Alphen 556:Christ Blessing the Children 380:Montreal Museum of Fine Arts 347:Christ Blessing the Children 308:Woman of Samaria at the Well 619:- Oil on wood, 70 x 53 cm, 1224: 776:Philadelphia Museum of Art 722:Museum voor Schone Kunsten 669:National Gallery of Canada 651:Metropolitan Museum of Art 332:, New York) Maes portrays 330:Metropolitan Museum of Art 227:Bartholomeus van der Helst 157:Nicolaes Maes was born in 72:December 1693 (aged 58-59) 1183:Dutch Golden Age painters 538:Portrait of Four Children 336:banishing the handmaiden 176:Two chattering housewives 28: 16:Dutch painter (1634–1693) 585:Portrait of Justus Criex 1203:Painters from Dordrecht 1198:Dutch portrait painters 239:Margaretha van Godewijk 841:Portrait of Jacob Trip 816:Saint Louis Art Museum 638: 499: 446: 402: 365: 340:along with their son, 270: 223:Abraham van den Tempel 218: 178: 128:painter known for his 765:Woman Plucking a Duck 634: 495: 442: 396: 361: 266: 214: 174: 1193:Dutch genre painters 1159:at Wikimedia Commons 520:Christ Before Pilate 303:Vertumnus and Pomona 279:Oude Kerk, Amsterdam 1208:Pupils of Rembrandt 1188:Dutch male painters 874:Museum of Fine Arts 852:Museum of Fine Arts 787:Old Woman at Prayer 716:Portrait of a Woman 698:Portrait of a Woman 592:Museum of Fine Arts 527:Museum of Fine Arts 273:Maes suffered from 254:Guild of Saint Luke 149:the 17th century. 1097:Wallace Collection 1092:The virtuous woman 987:at Sphinx Fine Art 914:Blanton Art Museum 912:- Oil on canvas, 809:Doing the Accounts 639: 500: 447: 422:Wallace Collection 413:The virtuous woman 403: 366: 363:The virtuous woman 271: 247:Johannes Vollevens 219: 179: 1155:Media related to 1059:The Spanish gypsy 953:Portrait of a man 834:Dordrechts Museum 774:- Oil on canvas, 756:- Oil on canvas, 649:- Oil on canvas, 462:Portrait painting 190:Peter Paul Rubens 119: 118: 44:Dordrechts Museum 1215: 1154: 1140: 1112: 1105: 1099: 1087: 1081: 1072: 1063: 1054: 1048: 1039: 1033: 1032: 1021: 1012: 1003: 988: 982: 957: 948: 937: 934: 919: 902: 891: 880: 869: 858: 847: 836: 827:The Eavesdropper 822: 804: 793: 782: 771: 760: 746: 738:- Oil on panel, 733:A Woman Spinning 728: 711: 693: 680:Old Woman Dozing 675: 667:- oil on canvas 657: 627: 621:National Gallery 614:The Idle Servant 609: 598: 580: 569: 563:National Gallery 551: 533: 515: 452:Johannes Vermeer 419: 399:Old woman dozing 313: 235:Justus de Gelder 216:The eavesdropper 194:Anthony van Dyck 115:Adriana Brouwers 78:, Dutch Republic 41: 33: 19: 1223: 1222: 1218: 1217: 1216: 1214: 1213: 1212: 1163: 1162: 1147: 1137: 1124: 1121: 1119:Further reading 1116: 1115: 1107:Nicolaes Maes, 1106: 1102: 1090:Nicolaes Maes, 1088: 1084: 1073: 1066: 1057:Nicolaes Maes, 1055: 1051: 1042:Nicolaes Maes, 1040: 1036: 1030: 1022: 1015: 1004: 991: 983: 960: 951:Nicolaes Maes, 949: 940: 935: 931: 926: 911: 893: 871: 849: 831: 813: 795: 773: 755: 737: 719: 702: 684: 673:Ottawa, Ontario 666: 648: 618: 607: 589: 578: 560: 545:Groeningemuseum 542: 524: 513: 505: 464: 456:Pieter de Hooch 356: 292: 287: 155: 79: 73: 64: 55: 46: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1221: 1219: 1211: 1210: 1205: 1200: 1195: 1190: 1185: 1180: 1175: 1165: 1164: 1161: 1160: 1146: 1145:External links 1143: 1142: 1141: 1135: 1120: 1117: 1114: 1113: 1100: 1082: 1064: 1049: 1034: 1013: 1006:Bakker, Piet. 989: 958: 938: 928: 927: 925: 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A pupil of 117: 116: 113: 109: 108: 105: 104:Known for 101: 100: 95: 91: 90: 85: 81: 80: 74: 70: 66: 65: 62:Dutch Republic 56: 52: 48: 47: 34: 26: 25: 22: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1220: 1209: 1206: 1204: 1201: 1199: 1196: 1194: 1191: 1189: 1186: 1184: 1181: 1179: 1176: 1174: 1171: 1170: 1168: 1158: 1157:Nicolaes Maes 1153: 1149: 1148: 1144: 1138: 1136:9781857096545 1132: 1128: 1123: 1122: 1118: 1110: 1104: 1101: 1098: 1094: 1093: 1086: 1083: 1079: 1078: 1071: 1069: 1065: 1062:at Christie's 1061: 1060: 1053: 1050: 1046: 1045: 1038: 1035: 1029: 1025: 1024:Nicolaes Maes 1020: 1018: 1014: 1010: 1009: 1008:Nicolaes Maes 1002: 1000: 998: 996: 994: 990: 986: 985:Nicolaes Maes 981: 979: 977: 975: 973: 971: 969: 967: 965: 963: 959: 955: 954: 947: 945: 943: 939: 933: 930: 923: 918: 917:Austin, Texas 915: 909: 908: 904: 901: 897: 887: 886: 882: 879: 875: 865: 864: 860: 857: 853: 843: 842: 838: 835: 829: 828: 824: 821: 817: 811: 810: 806: 803: 799: 789: 788: 784: 781: 777: 767: 766: 762: 759: 753: 752: 748: 745: 741: 735: 734: 730: 727: 723: 718: 717: 713: 710: 706: 705:Musée d'Arras 700: 699: 695: 692: 688: 682: 681: 677: 674: 670: 664: 663: 662:The Lacemaker 659: 656: 652: 646: 645: 644:The Lacemaker 641: 640: 637: 633: 626: 622: 616: 615: 611: 605: 604: 600: 597: 593: 587: 586: 582: 579:Oil on Canvas 576: 575: 571: 568: 564: 558: 557: 553: 550: 546: 540: 539: 535: 532: 528: 522: 521: 517: 512: 511: 507: 506: 502: 498: 494: 490: 488: 487: 482: 478: 474: 468: 461: 459: 457: 453: 445: 441: 437: 435: 429: 427: 423: 415: 414: 408: 407:color palette 401: 400: 395: 391: 389: 385: 381: 377: 376: 371: 364: 360: 353: 351: 349: 348: 343: 339: 335: 331: 327: 326: 321: 317: 309: 305: 304: 299: 298: 289: 284: 282: 280: 276: 269: 265: 261: 259: 255: 250: 248: 244: 240: 236: 232: 228: 224: 217: 213: 209: 207: 203: 199: 195: 191: 187: 182: 177: 173: 169: 167: 162: 160: 152: 150: 147: 143: 139: 135: 131: 127: 123: 122:Nicolaes Maes 114: 110: 106: 102: 99: 96: 92: 89: 86: 82: 77: 71: 67: 63: 59: 53: 49: 45: 37: 36:Self-portrait 32: 27: 23:Nicolaes Maes 20: 1126: 1111:at Sotheby's 1108: 1103: 1091: 1085: 1076: 1058: 1052: 1043: 1037: 1007: 952: 932: 905: 883: 861: 839: 825: 807: 785: 780:Philadelphia 763: 749: 731: 714: 696: 678: 660: 647:(1649-1650) 642: 635: 612: 601: 583: 573: 559:(1652-1653) 554: 536: 523:(1649-1650) 518: 508: 496: 485: 469: 465: 448: 443: 430: 412: 404: 397: 374: 367: 362: 346: 324: 320:iconographic 307: 302: 296: 293: 272: 267: 251: 220: 215: 183: 180: 175: 163: 156: 130:genre scenes 121: 120: 54:January 1634 35: 1178:1693 deaths 1173:1634 births 896:Rijksmuseum 820:Saint Louis 798:Rijksmuseum 740:Rijksmuseum 426:Proverbs 31 388:chiaroscuro 206:civic guard 84:Nationality 1167:Categories 1031:(in Dutch) 420:1655, the 138:still life 900:Amsterdam 802:Amsterdam 744:Amsterdam 577:(1662) - 384:Jan Steen 166:Rembrandt 159:Dordrecht 146:Dordrecht 142:Rembrandt 134:portraits 98:Rembrandt 94:Education 76:Amsterdam 58:Dordrecht 878:Budapest 856:Budapest 691:Brussels 655:New York 596:Budapest 531:Budapest 473:Ganymede 378:, 1656, 318:and the 231:Rampjaar 202:guilders 1095:at the 1026:at the 830:(1657) 812:(1656) 754:(1656) 736:(1655) 701:(1667) 683:(1656) 665:(1655) 617:(1655) 606:(1655) 588:(1666) 541:(1657) 434:vanitas 342:Ishmael 334:Abraham 328:(1653, 258:burgher 186:Antwerp 42:1685), 1133:  892:1680) 870:1660) 848:1660) 794:1656) 772:1656) 625:London 567:London 549:Bruges 477:Apollo 245:, and 112:Spouse 924:Notes 726:Ghent 709:Arras 481:Diana 338:Hagar 316:Bible 285:Works 126:Dutch 88:Dutch 1131:ISBN 479:and 454:and 275:gout 225:and 196:and 153:Life 69:Died 51:Born 1169:: 1067:^ 1016:^ 992:^ 961:^ 941:^ 898:, 890:c. 876:, 868:c. 854:, 846:c. 818:, 800:, 792:c. 778:, 770:c. 742:, 724:, 707:, 689:, 671:, 653:, 623:, 594:, 565:, 547:, 529:, 475:, 418:c. 312:c. 249:. 241:, 237:, 192:, 132:, 60:, 40:c. 1139:. 888:( 866:( 844:( 790:( 768:( 416:( 310:( 38:(

Index

the artist Nicolaes Maes
Dordrechts Museum
Dordrecht
Dutch Republic
Amsterdam
Dutch
Rembrandt
Dutch
genre scenes
portraits
still life
Rembrandt
Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Rembrandt

Antwerp
Peter Paul Rubens
Anthony van Dyck
Jacob Jordaens
guilders
civic guard

Abraham van den Tempel
Bartholomeus van der Helst
Rampjaar
Justus de Gelder
Margaretha van Godewijk
Jacob Moelaert
Johannes Vollevens

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