Nicolaes Maes, 1634 Dordrecht – 1693 Amsterda... Lot n° 360

The artist was an important Dutch painter and one of the best pupils of Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). PORTRAIT OF A COURTLY YOUNG MAN Oil on canvas. Doubled. 61 x 48 cm. In ebonized profiled wooden frame. We would like to thank Dr. Guido Jansen for confirming the authorship. The three-quarter portrait of the man in the open air, in the light of the reddish setting sun, holding a knife in his right hand to carve something into the tree. He is wearing a white shirt, partly decorated with lace, a blue jacket and a large golden-brown cloak that hangs down from his right arm to the left shoulder area in front of his body. He has curly gray hair and his blue eyes look out of the picture with dignity. The figure is artfully illuminated against a dark, scenic background with a waterfall and a hint of a forest edge and a view into the evening distance. This high-quality, representative portrait is typical of the well-known painter's style. Maes received his first training as a young apprentice under Rembrandt in Amsterdam, whose style of painting he immediately adopted. It was only later, after 1678, that his painting style changed after being influenced by Van Dyck. This can be seen above all in the portraits that now predominate. He was now less concerned with working out the effects of light and shadow, as in Rembrandt's art, but rather with capturing the characteristics of the people depicted. Thus the majority of his oeuvre shows portraits of men, women and children, mostly from aristocratic or upper middle-class circles. (14023226) (10) Nicolaes Maes, 1634 Dordrecht - 1693 Amsterdam PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG COURT GENTLEMAN Oil on canvas. Relined. 61 x 48 cm. We would like to thank Dr Guido Jansen for confirming the authorship.