Portrait of George Bredehoff de Vicq as Ganymede

Maes's portrait of George Bredehoff de Vicq as Ganymede from around 1687 is one of his latest known works, painted when he was in his sixties and still maintaining the elegant portrait historié tradition that had been commercially successful for over two decades. The De Vicq family had been among Maes's patrons, and this child portrait in Ganymede guise—the Trojan youth elevated to Olympus, symbolizing divine election and eternal youth—was a common form of aristocratic flattery for children of good family. The late date demonstrates Maes's continued professional activity in the final years of his life and the sustained demand for his fashionable portrait manner from Amsterdam's patrician elite. The composition maintains the warmth and technical accomplishment of his best late work.

The mythological costume and setting add a decorative, fantastical element to what is essentially a child portrait. Maes's very late technique maintains its characteristic polish and refinement.