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Nicolaes Maes, 'Portrait of a Man in a Black Wig', about 1680

About the work

Late in his career, Nicolaes Maes painted several small portraits in this style, often in an oval format. The background is dark, with a brown brocade curtain pushed to one side behind the sitter. A stylish young man confronts us with a direct gaze and half smile.

We don’t know who this young man might be, but he’s dressed in the fashionably informal style for portraits of the time. His brown silk robe would only have been worn in the house. His knotted scarf replaces the high collar with tabs worn on formal occasions, but he still wears a full-bottomed wig with its ornate curls. He tucks one hand into the front of the robe, revealing the white of his undershirt. The other hand is just visible, pushed into a pocket in the robe.

Key facts

Full title
Portrait of a Man in a Black Wig
Artist
Nicolaes Maes
Artist dates
1634 - 1693
Date made
about 1680
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
47.6 × 38.7 cm
Acquisition credit
Layard Bequest, 1913
Inventory number
NG2954
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

More works by Nicolaes Maes

A Little Girl rocking a Cradle
A Little Girl rocking a Cradle
Nicolaes Maes
A little girl looks out at us, as if eager for us to tell her that she’s doing her job well – her smile a little nervous, the hand on the cradle clutching it tight. She looks no more than five years old, but she’s been given the responsibility of looking after the baby that sleeps soundly, button...
Not on display
A Woman scraping Parsnips, with a Child standing by her
A Woman scraping Parsnips, with a Child standing by her
Nicolaes Maes
At first glance, this dark room might seem bare and forbidding but the deep brown of the walls encloses the two figures in warmth and serenity. There’s just enough light to reveal them, but Maes doesn‘t show the window, so the comfortable atmosphere isn’t disturbed. The concentration of woman and...
Not on display
Christ blessing the Children
Christ blessing the Children
Nicolaes Maes
Nicolaes Maes has turned a biblical moment into a scene from his own time, illustrating part of the Gospel of Matthew (19.13–14): ‘Then there were brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little childr...
Not on display
Portrait of an Elderly Man in a Black Robe
Portrait of an Elderly Man in a Black Robe
Nicolaes Maes
A warm light cast from the left illuminates a dark red curtain raised behind the sitter. This light seems to soften the man’s stern expression and the stark white of his stiff collar and cuffs.The old man in Nicolaes Maes’s portrait hasn’t been identified, even though he appears to be a man of so...
Not on display
Portrait of Jan de Reus
Portrait of Jan de Reus
Nicolaes Maes
Jan de Reus is about 70 years old in this portrait. He looks out from a dark background, his lined face framed by the long curls of a full-bottomed wig. Each wrinkle is rendered with meticulous care. His mouth is sensitive, though the lips are perhaps not as clearly defined as they once would hav...
Not on display
The Idle Servant
The Idle Servant
Nicolaes Maes
Although the title of this picture is Interior with a Sleeping Maid and her Mistress it has become known as The Idle Servant. The young woman is slumped on a stool, head in hand, taking a snooze after the hard work involved in preparing a large meal; heavy pots and pans litter the floor. But the...
Room 17