Portrait of Jan van Royen in black velvet, with a large brown wig

Maes's portrait of Jan van Royen in black velvet with a large brown wig from around 1665 captures the fashion transition of Amsterdam's elite from the sober dark clothing of mid-century Dutch convention toward the elaborate periwig and richer costume of the Restoration and Louis XIV era. The large brown wig—fashionable from the 1660s under the influence of the French court—was a marker of cosmopolitan awareness and social aspiration among Amsterdam's merchant elite, and its inclusion in Royen's portrait asserts his up-to-date international style. Maes was himself in transition at this date, moving toward the Flemish-influenced portrait style that would fully replace his Rembrandtesque manner by 1670. The combination of dark velvet and elaborate wig required the material rendering skills he had developed through decades of portrait practice.

The portrait employs the lighter, more refined palette of Maes's mature style, with the sitter presented in the fashionable large brown wig and black velvet that characterized Dutch elite male costume. Smooth, polished brushwork replaces the more textured handling of his early works.