Portrait of a Man in a Black Wig

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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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.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Portrait of a Man in a Black Wig

Date

about 1680

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 47.6 x W 38.7 cm

Accession number

NG2954

Acquisition method

Layard Bequest, 1913

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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