(Dordrecht 1634–1693 Amsterdam)
Portrait of a gentleman, wearing a brown robe, resting his left arm on the base of a column, signed centre right: MAES,
oil on canvas, 69 x 57.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
with R.H. Ward, London, no. 53 (according to a label on the reverse);
Private collection, Germany

The present painting is registered in the RKD database under no. 0000145819 (as Nicolaes Maes).

The gentleman of the present painting is depicted wearing a so-called banyan, better known as a Japonsche rok, a type of garment inspired by Japanese Kimonos which had found their way to Europe in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries via the Dutch East India Company. This type of informal loose gowns was worn at home and became a popular item for men of the upper class. They were made of different kind of fabrics, such as linen, silk and cotton, amongst these variations embroidered and padded examples are known.

Originally from Dordrecht, Nicolaes Maes moved to Amsterdam around 1648 to train in Rembrandt’s atelier. His earliest known paintings are historical works or domestic interior scenes, strongly inspired by his master’s work, both in their compositions and in their use of light. Returning to Dordrecht in 1653, Maes also started to paint portraits, apparently influenced by other artists active in the city such as Samuel von Hoogstraten, Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp and Albert Cuyp, rather than Rembrandt. From the 1660s onwards, the artist abandoned all other painting genres, devoting himself exclusively to portraiture. During this phase, Maes began to look to the sumptuous models of van Dyck, especially through the works of Jan Mytens, adopting a looser brushstroke and brighter colours. In 1673 he moved to Amsterdam, probably attracted by the commercial opportunities that had opened up after the death of the most important portrait painters active in that city, Abraham van den Tempel and Bartholomeus van der Helst. The move proved to be fortuitous, and the artist immediately met with great success among the patrons of the local high society.

The present work is a fine example of the artist’s late period and relates to a similar work auctioned at Christie’s, Amsterdam, 14 November 2012, lot 131.