Portrait of a Gentleman (ca.1670s)

Portrait of a Gentleman from the 1670s by Nicolaes Maes represents his mature portrait style that had evolved far from his early Rembrandtesque genre paintings. By this period, Maes had fully adopted the fashionable portrait style that made him one of Amsterdam's most successful painters. Maes trained with Rembrandt in Amsterdam in the early 1650s before establishing himself as an independent master. His mature portrait style absorbed Flemish elegance — producing fashionable likenesses with l...

The portrait demonstrates Maes's mature technique, balancing precise facial rendering with the fashionable elegance expected by his prosperous Amsterdam clientele.