Artwork
Portrait of Marten Meulenaer
Portrait of Marten Meulenaer is an oil painting by Nicolaes Maes. It dates from 1675 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Nicolaes Maes painted the portrait of Marten Meulenaer in 1675 using oil on canvas. The work presents a solitary male sitter, rendered in a restrained palette and set against an unadorned dark background. It belongs to the Rijksmuseum’s collection, where it exemplifies Maes’s mature portraiture after his apprenticeship with Rembrandt.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas depicts Marten Meulenaer, a man with tightly curled hair and a solemn expression. He is dressed in a dark, high‑collared coat over a lighter shirt, suggesting a status of modest respectability. The plain backdrop focuses attention on the sitter’s features, inviting contemplation of his character rather than any narrative scene.
Technique & Style
Maes employs a chiaroscuro scheme, allowing light to carve the planes of the face, especially around the jawline and forehead, while the surrounding darkness recedes. The brushwork on the coat is delicately blended, creating a smooth surface that contrasts with the more defined modeling of the facial features, a hallmark of his later portrait style.
History & Provenance
After completing his early career in Dordrecht, Maes moved to Amsterdam, where he became a leading portraitist in the late seventeenth century. The Marten Meulenaer portrait entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings as part of its Dutch Golden Age collection, reflecting the museum’s focus on preserving works by prominent national artists.
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.
