plate no. 0080

Portrait of a Lady

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recreation guide

This recreation guide addresses Nicolaes Maes’s 'Portrait of a Lady' (1675), a work situated in the artist’s mature period. By the 1670s, Maes had shifted from the austere, dark-background portraits of his early career to a style influenced by Flemish and French traditions, characterized by lighter tones, elegant garden settings, and a focus on the sitter’s gestures, poses, and fashionable attire (Source 2). The work likely employs the standardized formats Maes favored during this decade, such as a three-quarter-length figure leaning against a prop like a column or rock, set against a sunset sky or terrace (Source 2). The painting reflects the broader Dutch Golden Age context where portraits served as records of status and likeness, though Maes’s specific approach emphasizes the 'lighter spirit of the times' through free brushwork and atmospheric lighting (Source 2, Source 3).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Lead White, Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre, Black, Ultramarine)	Core palette for underpainting and glazing, consistent with historical records of old masters and Reynolds' cited method.	Titanium White (for safety, though Lead White is historically accurate), Cadmium Yellow/Red, Ivory Black, Ultramarine Blue
Oil of Copavia or Linseed Oil	Medium for the first and second paintings, as cited by Sir Joshua Reynolds regarding the method of old masters.	Stand Oil or Linseed Oil
Varnish	Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to gain mastery over transparent coats.	Dammar Varnish or Synthetic Resin Varnish
Canvas (Rectangular or Oval format)	Maes used small rectangular canvases for half-length figures in ovals or larger formats for three-quarter lengths.	Linen or Cotton Canvas, primed
Charcoal or Chalk	For underdrawing, utilizing earths and chalks mentioned as standard materials.	Vine Charcoal or White Charcoal

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a canvas consistent with the standardized formats Maes used in the 1670s, likely a larger format for a three-quarter-length figure or a smaller rectangular one for a half-length oval (Source 2). The ground should be prepared to accept oil glazes. While specific ground colors for this exact painting are not detailed, the practice of the period often involved a neutral or warm ground to facilitate the glazing techniques described by Reynolds and other old masters (Source 1).

underdrawing

Execute a precise underdrawing that captures the 'emotional significance' and form of the sitter, rather than merely scientific accuracy (Source 7). Maes’s mature style emphasizes gestures and poses; therefore, the drawing must accurately place the figure leaning against a prop (column, fountain, or rock) if applicable to the specific composition (Source 2). The drawing should be highly finished to allow for minute visual expression, ensuring that subtleties become instinctive before applying paint (Source 7).

underpainting

Create a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white, mixed with oil of copavia or a similar medium (Source 1). This step involves mentally extracting red and yellow colors to establish the tonal structure of the light and shadow (Source 1). This technique aligns with the method established by Sir Joshua Reynolds, who noted that the first and second paintings were done with these specific colors and medium (Source 1). Allow this layer to dry completely before proceeding.

color palette

Lead White

White Lead

Highlights and mixing with ultramarine/black for the grisaille underpainting.

Yellow Ochre

Natural Ochre

General use in the palette; earths and ochres are noted as sufficient for broken tones and covering well (Source 6).

Red Ochre

General use in the palette; ancient artists used red ochre as a primary color (Source 6).

Black

Ivory Black or Vine Black

Shadows and the grisaille underpainting; blacks prepared from combustion were standard (Source 6).

Ultramarine

The grisaille underpainting, mixed with white and black (Source 1).

Transparent Reds and Yellows

Glazing lakes or transparent oils

Applied as glazes over the dry grisaille to introduce color, mimicking the tinting of an engraving (Source 1).

composition

The composition likely features a three-quarter-length figure leaning against a prop such as a column, fountain, or rock, set against a terrace or garden with a sunset sky, which was a standardized format for Maes in the 1670s (Source 2). The setting reflects the 'lighter spirit of the times' with light tones and free brushstrokes (Source 2). The sitter is likely dressed in elegant attire, with emphasis on gestures, poses, and hairstyles, reflecting the influence of Flemish and French portraiture (Source 2).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Draw the figure with precise attention to gesture and pose, ensuring the form conveys emotional significance rather than just factual accuracy.
Tip — Focus on the 'minute visual expression' to make subtleties instinctive (Source 7).
Artistic Accuracy

underpainting

step 02
Apply a grisaille using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Establish the tonal values of the light and shadow, mentally excluding red and yellow hues.
Tip — Ensure the preparation is dry before moving to color (Source 1).
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Begin glazing and scumbling with oil. Apply transparent coats of red and yellow tones over the dry grisaille, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; scumbling is semi-opaque (Source 1).
Glazing

refining

step 04
As mastery is gained, mix varnish with oil for subsequent glazing layers. Use scumbling over darker grounds to achieve coldness or a 'grey bloom' if desired for atmospheric effects.
Tip — Be aware that scumbling over dark grounds tends to coldness (Source 1).
Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Refine the details of the clothing, hairstyles, and gestures, ensuring the 'free brushstroke' characteristic of Maes’s 1670s style is maintained.
Tip — Avoid over-modeling; check against the tendency to smallness by referencing broad masses (Source 8).
Free Brushwork

varnishing

step 06
Apply a final varnish to unify the glazes and protect the surface, consistent with the old masters' practice of using varnish in the glazing process.
Tip — Ensure the painting is fully dry before varnishing.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Used to apply color over a dry grisaille. Glazing provides transparent color, while scumbling provides semi-opaque layers that allow the underlying painting to show through, creating depth and atmospheric effects like 'grey bloom'.

Grisaille Underpainting

A monochrome underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white to establish tone before color is introduced. This method was established by old masters like Reynolds.

Simultaneous Contrast Awareness

The painter must perceive how contiguous colors modify each other. The eye sees the result of a color and the complementary of the previously seen color, requiring careful observation to avoid inaccuracies.

common pitfalls

→Over-modeling or becoming too tied to the outline, which can lead to a lack of freedom in the brushwork. Copying works like Reynolds’s 'Portraits of Two Gentlemen' can help check this tendency (Source 8).
→Ignoring the effects of simultaneous contrast, leading to inaccurate color perception. The eye is susceptible to fatigue and may see colors modified by previously viewed complementary colors (Source 4).
→Applying glazes before the grisaille is completely dry, which can ruin the tonal foundation (Source 1).
→Using a palette that is too 'luxurious' or material-focused at the expense of 'soul' or emotional significance, a critique leveled by Pliny against the profusion of colors in his time (Source 6).

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.

·The specific facial features and exact clothing patterns of the sitter in 'Portrait of a Lady' (1675) are not described in the sources, so the recreation must rely on the general style of Maes’s 1670s portraits.
·The exact dimensions and aspect ratio of the specific canvas are not provided, though standardized formats are mentioned.
·The specific pigments used for the 'light tones' of the garden background are not detailed, only that they are 'light tones' and 'free brushstroke'.
·The specific prop (column, fountain, or rock) used in this particular portrait is not identified, only that these were common in Maes’s mature style.

grounded in

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

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques
- ON COPYING — applied to Avoiding over-modeling and checking tendencies
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color perception and simultaneous contrast
The Science of Painting↗
- COLOURING SUBSTANCES — applied to Palette materials and historical context of pigments
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- FROM A STUDY BY BOTTICELLI — applied to Underdrawing philosophy and artistic accuracy