Background
Nicolaes Maes was born in January, 1634, in Dordrecht, Netherlands. He was a son of Gerrit Maes, a cloth merchant and soap boiler, and Ida Herman Claesdr. Also, Nicolaes had a brother, whose name was Abraham Maes.
Nicolaes Maes was born in January, 1634, in Dordrecht, Netherlands. He was a son of Gerrit Maes, a cloth merchant and soap boiler, and Ida Herman Claesdr. Also, Nicolaes had a brother, whose name was Abraham Maes.
In his early years, Nicolaes studied art under the guidance of a mediocre painter in his hometown. Approximately in 1648, he left for Amsterdam, where Rembrandt became his mentor. Maes studied at Rembrandt's studio for about five years.
Also, in the 1650's, Maes visited Antwerp, where he examined the work of Flemish artists, such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens.
By the end of 1653, Maes had come back to Dordrecht. The influence of his mentor Rembrandt and specifically the style and subject matter of his work of the 1640's, continued in Maes’ work after his return to his native city. This impact is especially apparent in the case of Nicolaes's drawings, which are often difficult to distinguish with certainty from those of Rembrandt.
During the period from 1655 to 1660, Nicolaes devoted himself to domestic genre on a smaller scale, retaining to a great extent the use of colour he had learned from Rembrandt. His favourite subjects were women spinning or reading the Bible or preparing a meal. Between 1660-1670, the painter concentrated fully on portraits, abandoning intimacy and glowing colour harmonies for a careless elegance, that suggested the influence of van Dyck.
In 1673, Maes returned to Amsterdam, where he lived till the end of his life. There, in Amsterdam, Nicolaes was so much in demand as a portraitist, that sitters considered it a favour to be given the chance to have the artist paint their portrait. Many of surviving portraits from the painter's late period are evidence of his success as a society portraitist.
Nicolaes Maes was an important Dutch painter, who was mostly known for his domestic genre scenes. Also, he was a prolific portrait painter. Maes's most famous works include "The Bath", "The Lacemaker", "A Woman Scraping Parsnips, with a Child Standing by Her", "The Eavesdropper", "Two Chattering Housewives" and others.
His works are kept in the collections of different museums and galleries, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, Groeningemuseum in Bruges, the National Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa and others.
Portrait of a Lady
An Old Woman Dozing over a Book
Woman spinning
Portrait of a Woman
The Listening Housewife
Girl at a Window (also known as The Daydreamer)
Portrait of Jan de Reus
Portrait of a Gentleman (The Earl of Sheffield)
A Woman Scraping Parsnips, with a Child Standing by Her
Portrait of an Elderly Man in a Black Robe
Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman
The Vegetable Market
Boys Flying Kites
A Woman Selling Milk
The Eavesdropper
The Account Keeper
The Listening Housewife
Portrait of a Young Girl Standing near a Fountain
An Eavesdropper with a Woman Scolding
An Old Woman Praying
Portrait of a Young Woman
Portrait of a Man
A Young Woman Sewing
Sleeping Man Having His Pockets Picked
Portrait of a Young Girl with a Feather Headdress and a Kid
The Virtuous Woman
The idle servant
The Eavesdropper
View of Ravestein
The Bath
Boy in Fancy Dress as a Roman Soldier
The Milkwoman
A Little Girl Rocking a Cradle
Portrait of a Woman with a Fan
Adoration of the Shepherds
Portrait of a Young Man
The Milkmaid
Portrait of a Man
Portrait of a Lady
Portrait of a Young Woman
Interior with a Sleeping Maid - The Idle Servan
Portrait of a Man of the Campbell of Argyll Clan
Woman Plucking a Duck
A Dutch Family Group
Thomas Sandys
Jacob Trip
Portrait of a Baby Girl as Venus with a Chariot Drawn by Doves
Portrait of a Lady in a Black Dress
Old Woman Dozing
The Lacemaker
Cornelis Evertsen (1642 - 1706), Lieutenant Admiral of Zeeland
Boy with a Spear
The Eavesdropper
Portrait of a Young Man, Possibly Simon van Alphen
Two Chattering Housewives
Still Life of Fruit in a formal Garden
Christ Blessing the Children
Portrait of Margaretha de Geer, Wife of Jacob Trip
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Man in a Black Wig
Portraif of a Venerable-Looking Old Man
Portrait of a Gentleman
A Young Boy with His Dog
A Man holding a Carnation to a Woman's Nose. An Allegory of the Sense of Smell
Maes was a member of Guild of Saint Luke. Moreover, Nicolaes was a member of the local civic guard, in which he reached the rank of lieutenant.
Nicolaes Maes was married to Adriana Brouwers, who was a widow of the preacher Arnoldus de Gelder. The couple had three sons, two of whom were adopted, and three daughters.
