Artwork
Portrait of Four Children as Ceres Ganymede Cherub and Diana
Portrait of Four Children as Ceres Ganymede Cherub and Diana is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Nicolaes Maes. It dates from 1675 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Painted by Nicolaes Maes in 1675, the portrait depicts four children costumed as figures drawn from classical mythology and the allegorical tradition.
Painted by Nicolaes Maes in 1675, the portrait depicts four children costumed as figures drawn from classical mythology and the allegorical tradition. According to the work's iconographic program, the children are identified as Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture; Ganymede, the mythological cupbearer of the gods; a cherub, a winged putto associated with love; and Diana, the goddess of the hunt. The composition thereby transforms a conventional group portrait into a mythological tableau, in which the sitters embody divine attributes rather than appearing as ordinary contemporary children.
This kind of personification was a common device in seventeenth-century portraiture, allowing families to display learning, refinement, and wealth by linking their offspring to antiquity. By assigning each child a distinct mythological role, Maes created a layered symbolic portrait in which innocence and classical virtue coexist, lending the children an elevated, idealized character beyond that of a straightforward likeness.
History & Provenance
The painting was created by Nicolaes Maes in 1675, executed in oil paint on canvas. It is held in the Hermitage Museum collection, though it is currently on loan or housed at a private collection location. The work is catalogued on Wikidata as a portrait depicting four children personified as mythological figures including Ceres, Ganymede, Diana, and a cherub.
Beyond the date of inception in 1675 and its current location, the available sources do not provide further details on the commission, prior ownership chain, or earlier provenance of the work.
Portrait of Four Children as Ceres, Ganymede, Cherub and Diana by Nicolaes Maes is recorded as being held in the Hermitage Museum collection. The work is catalogued in Wikidata as part of that institution's holdings, though the same record also lists its location as a private collection, an internal inconsistency in the available data. No specific inventory or accession number for the Hermitage is provided in the sources.
No exhibition history is documented in the available records. The painting, completed in 1675, is catalogued as an oil-on-canvas portrait measuring 90.7 cm in height by 70.2 cm in width, but details of any loans, displays, or public showings are not recorded.
Overview
Nicolaes Maes, a Dutch painter active during the Dutch Golden Age, completed this oil painting in 1675. Titled Portrait of Four Children as Ceres, Ganymede, Cherub, and Diana, the work combines traditional portraiture with allegorical elements. It presents four young subjects in an imagined outdoor setting, each embodying a classical or mythological figure, a popular artistic convention of the period.
Technique & Style
Maes employs a dramatic outdoor setting with dark, swirling clouds that contrast sharply with the luminous figures. The children appear to glow against the shadowy background, a technique reminiscent of chiaroscuro, which creates depth and emphasizes their forms. This stylistic choice contributes to the painting's dreamy atmosphere, blending realism in the children's depiction with an idealized, mythological environment.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolaes Maes (January 1634 – December 1693; buried 24 December 1693) was a Dutch painter known for his genre scenes, portraits, religious compositions and the occasional still life.
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