plate no. 9262

Jacob Trip

oilBaroqueportraitportraitmanbeardclothingheadwearface

recreation guide

Nicolaes Maes’s *Portrait of Jacob Trip* (c. 1657–1660) represents a transitional phase in the artist’s career, bridging his early Rembrandt-influenced genre scenes with his mature portraiture style. During this period, Maes was known for applying Rembrandt’s stylistic characteristics, particularly chiaroscuro and expressive brushwork, to domestic and portrait subjects (Source 1). While his earlier portraits often featured sitters in austere dress against dark backgrounds, his style evolved in the 1660s to incorporate Flemish influences, such as those of Van Dyck, introducing more elaborate staging and accessories (Source 6). This specific work, held in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, is an oil on canvas measuring 88 x 68 cm (Source 2). It likely exhibits the solemn dignity and moral uprightness that Maes bestowed upon his subjects, transforming mundane appearances into evocations of character (Source 1, Source 7).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints	Primary medium for the portrait	Artist-grade oil paints
Linseed oil	Medium to thin paint and increase gloss/oil content for upper layers	Refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or turpentine	Solvent for thinning initial layers and cleaning brushes	Odorless mineral spirits or turpentine
Canvas	Support for the painting	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Charcoal or thinned paint	For initial sketching of the subject	Vine charcoal or raw umber thinned with solvent

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a traditional ground suitable for oil painting. While specific ground recipes for this exact portrait are not detailed in the sources, Maes worked on canvas during this period (Source 2). The surface should be smooth enough to allow for the fine brushwork and chiaroscuro effects characteristic of Maes’s style (Source 1).

underdrawing

Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with the artist sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 4). Maes’s early work shows inventive poses and gestures, suggesting a careful initial layout to capture the 'solemn dignity' of the sitter (Source 1).

underpainting

Maes applied Rembrandt’s stylistic characteristics, including chiaroscuro, to his works (Source 1). This suggests an underpainting phase that establishes the light and shadow structure. The 'fat over lean' rule should be observed, where initial layers are leaner (more solvent) and subsequent layers are fatter (more oil) to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking (Source 4).

color palette

Limited palette derived from Rembrandt

Earth tones, umbers, ochres, and limited bright colors

General use in this artist's palette; Maes used a limited color palette derived from Rembrandt to endow scenes with solemn dignity (Source 1).

Dark background tones

Burnt umber, black, raw umber

Maes’s earlier portraits typically placed sitters against dark backgrounds (Source 6).

composition

Maes’s earlier portraits typically place sitters in an austere manner against a dark background (Source 6). By the time of *Jacob Trip*, Maes was transitioning toward a style influenced by Van Dyck, which may include more elaborate staging, though the specific composition of this portrait is not detailed in the sources. The sitter is likely depicted in a half-length or three-quarter length format, consistent with Maes’s standardized portrait formats of the period (Source 6). The expression should aim for a serious, closed-lip stare, conveying character and moral quality rather than fleeting emotion (Source 7).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure the pose conveys solemn dignity, consistent with Maes’s style.
Initial sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a lean underpainting to establish the chiaroscuro and basic forms.
Tip — Use a limited palette derived from Rembrandt to create depth and solemnity.
Chiaroscuro

first pass

step 03
Build up the mid-tones and shadows, adhering to the 'fat over lean' principle.
Tip — Each additional layer should contain more oil than the layer below to prevent cracking.
Fat over lean

refining

step 04
Refine the facial features, focusing on the eyes and eyebrows to convey character.
Tip — The eyes are the most reliable source of information about the subject’s character.
Expressive brushwork

finishing

step 05
Add final highlights and details, ensuring the brushwork is expressive yet controlled.
Tip — Maes applied Rembrandt’s stylistic characteristics, including brushwork, to his portraits.
Rembrandt’s brushwork

critical techniques

Chiaroscuro

Maes applied Rembrandt’s stylistic characteristics, such as chiaroscuro, to domestic scenes and portraits, using light and shadow to create solemn dignity.

Fat over lean

A basic rule of oil paint application where each additional layer contains more oil than the layer below to allow proper drying and prevent cracking.

Expressive brushwork

Maes used expressive brushwork, influenced by Rembrandt, to convey the inner essence and moral quality of his subjects.

common pitfalls

→Over-modeling or being too tied down to the outline, which can result in a stiff appearance. Maes’s work is characterized by expressive poses and gestures, not rigid outlines (Source 3).
→Ignoring the 'fat over lean' rule, which can lead to cracking and peeling of the paint film (Source 4).
→Focusing too much on literal likeness rather than the inner essence and character of the subject, which is the aim of great portraiture (Source 7).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific details of Jacob Trip’s clothing, jewelry, or accessories are not described in the sources.
·The exact facial expression or gesture of Jacob Trip is not detailed in the sources.
·The specific background elements or setting of the portrait are not described.
·The exact pigment mix for Maes’s limited palette is not provided, only that it was derived from Rembrandt.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting — ON COPYING↗
- Advice on copying — applied to Common pitfalls (over-modeling)

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Nicolaes Maes — part 3↗
- Early period and style — applied to Overview, color palette, critical techniques (chiaroscuro, brushwork)
Wikipedia bio — Nicolaes Maes — part 5↗
- Selected works — applied to Artwork identification and dimensions
Wikipedia: Oil painting — Oil painting — part 2↗
- Techniques — applied to Materials, surface prep, step-by-step process (fat over lean, underdrawing)
Wikipedia: Portrait painting — Portrait painting — part 1↗
- Genre description — applied to Overview (purpose of portraiture)
Wikipedia bio — Nicolaes Maes — part 4↗
- Portrait painting — applied to Composition notes (austere dress, dark background, Van Dyck influence)
Wikipedia: Portrait painting — Portrait painting — part 2↗
- Expectations for portraiture — applied to Composition notes (serious expression, eyes as key to character)