plate no. 2918

Portrait of a Lady in a Black Dress

oilBaroqueportraitportraitfiguredresslandscapepearlshair

recreation guide

Nicolaes Maes’s *Portrait of a Lady in a Black Dress* (1675) represents the artist’s mature style, which shifted significantly during the 1670s to reflect a 'lighter spirit of the times' (Source 4). Unlike his earlier austere portraits, Maes’s work from this period often features sitters placed in elegant gardens or against sunset skies, utilizing a free brushstroke and emphasizing gestures, poses, and fashionable attire (Source 4). As a leading portrait painter in Amsterdam during the final decades of the 17th century, Maes was influenced by Flemish portraiture, particularly the style of Van Dyck, which he encountered during travels to Antwerp (Source 4, Source 7). The painting likely employs the standardized formats Maes favored, such as a half-length figure or a three-quarter-length figure leaning against a prop, set against a light-toned background (Source 4).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

4 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Red Ochre/Yellow Ochre)	Primary pigments for the grisaille underpainting and subsequent glazing.	Modern tube oils: Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White, Ivory Black, Red Ochre, Yellow Ochre.
Oil of Copavia (or Linseed Oil)	Medium for the first and second paintings, as cited by Sir Joshua Reynolds regarding old master methods.	Stand oil or high-quality linseed oil.
Varnish	Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to gain mastery over transparent coats.	Dammar varnish or modern painting medium.
Canvas	Support for the oil painting.	Linen canvas, primed.

preparation

surface prep

The surface should be prepared to accept oil paint. While specific ground preparation for this exact canvas is not detailed in the sources, Maes worked on canvas during this period (Source 4). The sources suggest a method where the initial layers are applied with oil of copavia (Source 1).

underdrawing

The sources do not explicitly describe Maes’s underdrawing technique for this specific work. However, general practice for the period and the described method of 'glazing and scumbling' implies a structured underpainting phase rather than a loose sketch. Maes’s mature style involved 'free brushstroke' in the final layers, suggesting the drawing was likely resolved in the underpainting or early opaque layers (Source 4).

underpainting

The technique described in Source 1 suggests a monochrome preparation (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white. This layer establishes the tonal values before color is introduced. The artist should 'mentally extract the red and yellow colours' to create this neutral base (Source 1).

color palette

Black/Dark Grey

Black, Ultramarine, White

Underpainting (grisaille) and dark tones in the black dress.

Red/Yellow Tones

Red and Yellow pigments

Glazing and scumbling to introduce color, particularly in skin tones and highlights, as these were 'extracted' from the grisaille.

Light Tones

White mixed with color complements or adjacent colors

Highlights and the 'light tones' of the garden/sunset background characteristic of Maes’s 1670s style.

composition

Maes’s 1670s portraits characteristically place sitters in elegant gardens or against sunset skies, using light tones and free brushstrokes (Source 4). The composition likely follows one of his two standardized formats: a half-length figure within a painted oval or a three-quarter-length figure leaning against a prop like a column or rock (Source 4). The emphasis is on the sitter’s gestures, pose, and fashionable clothing rather than a dark, austere background found in his earlier work (Source 4).

step by step

underpainting→refining→finishing

underpainting

step 01
Create a grisaille (monochrome) underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors, painting only what would remain if those colors were absent from nature.
Grisaille

refining

step 02
Allow the grisaille to dry completely before proceeding.
Tip — Ensure the layer is quite dry to prevent mixing with subsequent glazes.
Drying

finishing

step 03
Apply transparent coats of color (glazing) and semi-opaque layers (scumbling) using oil, or varnish and oil mixed, to introduce red and yellow tones.
Tip — Treat the process like tinting an engraving with watercolors. Use scumbling over darker grounds to achieve a 'grey bloom' or coldness if desired.
Glazing and Scumbling
step 04
Adjust lightness and darkness by mixing with white, black, or complementary colors to avoid hue shifts.
Tip — Avoid adding black to yellows/oranges/reds as it shifts hue toward green/blue. Use complements to darken without hue shift.
Color Mixing
step 05
Apply free brushstrokes to the background and clothing to reflect the 'lighter spirit' and Flemish influence of Maes’s 1670s style.
Tip — Emphasize gestures and poses, consistent with Maes’s mature portrait style.
Free Brushstroke

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

A method practiced by old masters where a transparent coat of color (glaze) or semi-opaque layer (scumble) is applied over a dry monochrome underpainting to build up color and tone.

Simultaneous Contrast

Understanding that adjacent colors affect each other’s appearance. The painter must perceive how contiguous colors modify the tone and color of each part of the model.

Complementary Darkening

Darkening colors by adding their complement rather than black to prevent unwanted hue shifts (e.g., adding purplish-red to yellowish-green).

common pitfalls

→Adding black to warm colors (yellows, oranges, reds) to darken them, which causes a hue shift toward green or blue (Source 3).
→Adding white to reds and oranges to lighten them, which can cause a shift toward blue; this should be corrected with a small amount of an adjacent color (Source 3).
→Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can ruin the transparency and clarity of the layer (Source 1).
→Ignoring the effect of simultaneous contrast, leading to inaccurate color perception of the model due to the influence of contiguous colors (Source 2).
→Over-modeling or being too tied to the outline, which contradicts the 'free brushstroke' characteristic of Maes’s later style (Source 4, Source 8).

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 the lady’s facial features, jewelry, or exact dress pattern are not described in the sources and must be inferred from general knowledge of Maes’s style or left to the artist’s discretion.
·The exact dimensions and format (oval vs. rectangular) of this specific 1675 portrait are not specified, though Maes used two standard formats (Source 4).
·The specific background setting (garden, terrace, sunset) is not confirmed for this specific title, though it is characteristic of his 1670s work (Source 4).
·Maes’s specific underdrawing technique (e.g., charcoal, chalk, ink) is not detailed in the provided sources.

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 (grisaille), glazing, scumbling, and medium usage.
- ON COPYING — applied to General advice on avoiding over-modeling.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color perception and simultaneous contrast.

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Color mixing, darkening, and lightening techniques.
Wikipedia bio — Nicolaes Maes↗
- Portrait painting — applied to Stylistic evolution, composition formats, and brushwork.

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

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