Nicolaes Maes (1632-1693)

Portrait of a gentleman, standing small three quarter length on a draped terrace, wearing a gold embroidered dark blue costume, lace shirt, brown silk wrap and wig, his right arm leaning on a pedestal

Details

Nicolaes Maes (1632-1693)
Portrait of a gentleman, standing small three quarter length on a draped terrace, wearing a gold embroidered dark blue costume, lace shirt, brown silk wrap and wig, his right arm leaning on a pedestal
signed lower right MAES
oil on canvas
68.3 x 57.9 cm

Provenance

M. Rothan, Paris, circa 1873
Anon. Sale, Drouot Paris, 2 April 1874 lot 73, as "Portrait de Christian Huygens"

Literature

P. Mantz, La Galerie de M. Rothan, Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1873, II, p. 283
H.E. van Gelder, Ikonografie van Constantijn Huygens en de zijnen, 1957, p.49, no. 12, as portrait of Christiaen Huygens

Lot Essay

The sitter has formerly been identified as Christiaen Huygens II (1629-1695) on the basis of comparison with the engraving by Gerard Edelinck after Friquet de Vaurose (Van Gelder, op. cit., p. 47, no. 6, fig. 44). However, as Van Gelder points out, most of the portraits of the Huygens family remained together until 1785 when Suzanna Louisa Huygens died and an inventory was drawn up. This inventory did not mention a portrait by Maes of Christiaan II (Van Gelder, op. cit., p. XII).

See colour illustration

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