Portrait of a Boy as a Hunter, with a Bow and Arrow and a Dog

Maes's Portrait of a Boy as a Hunter from around 1674 shows the portrait historié tradition applied to a child sitter, combining the requirements of individual likeness with the symbolic enrichment of the hunting costume and equipment. The bow and arrow and hunting dog connect the young sitter to the ancient tradition of aristocratic field sport while his direct gaze asserts the confident personality appropriate to someone depicted in heroic terms. Maes's late portrait style—warm, elegant, technically assured—gives these fancy-dress child portraits a quality of affectionate idealization that must have satisfied the parental aspirations motivating the commissions. The hunting costume also provided technical opportunities for rendering diverse materials—feathers, leather, metal, dog fur—that demonstrated the painter's continued mastery in his late career.

The hunting accessories—bow, arrows, and dog—add visual interest and social symbolism to the child portrait. Maes's polished technique renders both the child's features and the accessories with equal care.