Portrait of a Lady in a Red Dress

Portrait of a Lady in a Red Dress from 1675 by Nicolaes Maes is notable for the vibrant red costume that distinguishes it from the more typical dark tones of Dutch portraiture. The red dress suggests a woman of fashion and means, willing to be portrayed in a striking color. 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 looser brushwork...

The red dress provides a vivid chromatic accent, rendered with Maes's skill in depicting luxurious fabric against the more muted tones of the background.