plate no. 0038

Portrait of a Woman with a Fan

oilBaroqueportraitportraitwomandressfanlacepearls

what to study here

It shows how a near-black ground, a softly modeled face and crisp lace can be balanced using value and edge control alone.

The visionGuide describes a half-length figure in a black dress against an almost-black ground, and the value structure is the first thing to study. The face is a unified mid-light value with barely perceptible shifts, and the drama sits at the edges, where pale flesh meets black dress and where near-white lace meets both. Squint and you get three layers: background void, figure mass, and bright lace. Light comes from the left front, so the face and lace catch the strongest light. Flesh edges are soft and blended, with seamless transitions into shadow. The lace is the opposite: controlled, directional marks that define the scrollwork without becoming photographic. The dress is smooth with little visible brushwork. A warm red-brown fabric at the far left edge, and small accents of pearl necklace and earring, keep the palette from going flat. Study how one painter handles two edge types, soft in flesh and precise in lace, inside a very narrow set of values.

key decision

Maes set a pale, softly blended face and bright lace against an almost-black background and dark dress, so the figure reads through value separation at the edges. He kept the face's internal value shifts minimal.

recreation guide

Nicolaes Maes' 'Portrait of a Woman with a Fan' (1671) represents a pivotal shift in the artist's mature style, moving away from the austere, dark-background portraits of his earlier career toward the lighter, more elegant aesthetic of the 1670s. During this period, Maes was influenced by Flemish portraiture (specifically Van Dyck) and French developments, resulting in works that emphasize gestures, poses, and fashionable attire rather than just likeness (Source 1). The painting likely features a half-length or three-quarter-length figure, potentially set against a lighter background or garden setting, reflecting the 'lighter spirit of the times' and the use of free brushstrokes characteristic of his later work (Source 1). The inclusion of the fan serves as a staging accessory, a technique Maes adopted from Flemish traditions to add narrative or decorative interest to the portrait (Source 1).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions (allowing for drying time between glazes)

materials

6 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Earth tones, Red/Yellow ochres)	Primary medium for the portrait	Artist-grade oil paints
Linseed oil	Medium to thin paint and ensure 'fat over lean' layering	Refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or Turpentine	Solvent for thinning initial layers and cleaning brushes	Odorless mineral spirits (OMS) or Turpentine
Canvas (small rectangular or larger format)	Support for the painting; Maes used standardized formats	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Charcoal or thinned paint	For initial sketching of the subject	Vine charcoal or diluted oil paint
Varnish (optional, for glazing)	To mix with oil for transparent glazes as per traditional practice	Dammar varnish or painting medium

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While Maes' specific ground recipe is not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting practice of the period involved a stable ground to support the paint film. The surface should be smooth enough to allow for the 'free brushstroke' mentioned in Maes' later style but textured enough to hold the paint layers (Source 2).

underdrawing

Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint. This initial drawing establishes the composition, including the pose and the placement of the fan accessory. Maes' later portraits emphasize gestures and poses, so the underdrawing should focus on capturing the correct posture and the interaction with the prop (Source 1, Source 2).

underpainting

Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or linseed oil. This layer establishes the values and forms without color. Ensure this layer is completely dry before proceeding. This technique allows for the mental extraction of red and yellow tones, simplifying the initial structural work (Source 3).

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure ultramarine pigment

Used in the initial monochrome underpainting along with black and white (Source 3)

White

Lead white or modern titanium/zinc white

Highlights and mixing in the underpainting; essential for the 'light tones' of the 1670s style (Source 1, Source 3)

Black

Ivory black or lamp black

Shadows and defining forms in the underpainting (Source 3)

Red and Yellow tones

Vermilion, red ochre, yellow ochre

Applied later as glazes and scumbles to add warmth and flesh tones, mimicking the 'tinting of an engraving' (Source 3)

Light tones

Diluted whites and earth tones

Backgrounds and clothing, reflecting the 'lighter spirit' of the 1670s (Source 1)

composition

Maes' portraits from this period often utilized standardized formats: either a small rectangular canvas for a half-length figure within a painted oval, or a larger format for a three-quarter-length figure leaning against a prop (Source 1). The composition should emphasize the gesture and pose, with the fan acting as a key accessory that interacts with the sitter's posture. The background may be a light-toned garden or terrace, contrasting with the darker backgrounds of his earlier work (Source 1).

step by step

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

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the figure and the fan using charcoal or thinned paint. Focus on the pose and the placement of the accessory.
Tip — Ensure the proportions are correct, as Maes emphasized recognizable likeness and specific gestures (Source 1, Source 2).
Initial sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a grisaille underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil. Establish the light and shadow values.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors at this stage to focus on form (Source 3).
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Once the grisaille is dry, begin applying color. Use glazing for transparent layers and scumbling for semi-opaque layers.
Tip — Apply red and yellow tones as they occur in nature, similar to tinting an engraving (Source 3).
Glazing and Scumbling

refining

step 04
Build up layers following the 'fat over lean' rule. Each subsequent layer should contain more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking.
Tip — Monitor the oil content in each layer to ensure proper drying and stability (Source 2).
Fat over Lean

finishing

step 05
Refine the brushwork to achieve the 'free brushstroke' characteristic of Maes' 1670s style. Emphasize the textures of the clothing and the fan.
Tip — Avoid overworking the paint; maintain the vitality of the medium (Source 1, Source 6).
Free Brushstroke

varnishing

step 06
Allow the painting to dry completely (up to two weeks) before applying a final varnish if desired.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, not evaporation (Source 2).
Drying and Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Used to apply color over a dry monochrome underpainting. Glazing provides transparency, while scumbling allows the underlying layer to show through, creating depth and tone (Source 3).

Fat over Lean

A fundamental rule of oil painting where each layer contains more oil than the one below it to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking (Source 2).

Free Brushstroke

Characteristic of Maes' 1670s style, used to depict light tones and elegant settings with a sense of movement and vitality (Source 1).

common pitfalls

→Applying layers with less oil than the previous layer, which will cause the painting to crack and peel (Source 2).
→Overworking the paint to achieve a deceptive realism, which loses the 'vital expression' and 'painted symbols' quality of the medium (Source 6).
→Ignoring the drying time of oil paint, which dries by oxidation and can take up to two weeks to be dry to the touch (Source 2).

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 dimensions of the canvas for this particular portrait are not provided in the sources, though Maes used standardized formats (Source 1).
·The exact color palette for the woman's clothing and the fan is not described in the sources, so the artist must infer or choose colors consistent with the 'light tones' of the period (Source 1).
·The specific background setting (garden, terrace, or dark) for this individual painting is not explicitly detailed, though the 1670s style favored light gardens (Source 1).

grounded in

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

The Practice of Oil Painting — COLOURING A MONOCHROME↗
- Glazing and Scumbling — applied to Underpainting technique, color application strategy
The Practice and Science of Drawing — XX MATERIALS↗
- Materials — applied to Philosophy of using oil paint as a medium with vitality, avoiding deceptive realism

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia bio — Nicolaes Maes — part 4↗
- Portrait painting — applied to Overview, composition notes, and stylistic characteristics (free brushstroke, light tones, accessories)
Wikipedia: Oil painting — Oil painting — part 2↗
- Traditional oil painting techniques — applied to Materials, underdrawing, fat over lean rule, drying time

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

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

A woman in a black dress occupies the center-to-left of the composition, her pale face the brightest focal point against an almost-black background. Light rakes across from the left front, illuminating her face sharply and skimming across the elaborate white lace collar and cuffs, which catch bold highlights and create the painting's secondary visual interest. A warm red-brown fabric is visible on the far left edge behind her shoulder, and her pearl necklace and dangling earring add subtle bright accents. The eye lands first on her face—pale, calm, directly meeting the viewer—then travels to the intricate lace geometry framing her shoulders.

value structure

Extreme value separation: nearly black background (darkest darks around #1a1614) sits against mid-light to light flesh tones (#b09b81 range) and near-white lace details. The face itself is a unified mid-light value with barely perceptible shifts; the real value drama lives at the edges—where pale face meets black dress and where white lace pops against both. Squinting reveals three distinct layers: background void, central figure mass, and bright lace highlights threading around the composition.

observed palette and mixes

#1a1614
Ivory black with touch of burnt umber
Deep background surrounding the figure and enveloping the upper portions of the composition
#b09b81
Titanium white, yellow ochre, cadmium red light, burnt umber in varying proportions
Flesh tones throughout the face, neck, and visible hand; warmer in cheeks, cooler across forehead and jaw
#453629
Burnt umber, ivory black, touch of yellow ochre
Dark brown shadows in hair, folds of the black dress, and warm midtones where fabric catches side light
#fffef5
Titanium white, touch of yellow ochre
Lace collar, lace cuffs, and delicate trim; slightly warmed to read against both black dress and pale skin
#d97a4a
Cadmium red light, burnt umber, yellow ochre
Red-brown fabric glimpsed on the left edge; warm accent that anchors the color temperature of the composition

edges and brushwork

Edges are nearly invisible in the face—soft and blended, with seamless transitions from flesh to shadow and background. The lace, by contrast, displays precise linear detailing: controlled directional marks that define the scrollwork pattern without becoming photographic. The dress is rendered smoothly with minimal visible brushwork. Throughout, the technique prioritizes optical softness; brushstrokes serve modeling and form rather than calling attention to themselves.

a working sequence

01
Tonal Underpainting
Sketch the composition loosely—establish the head placement, shoulder line, and where the lace collar sits. Block in the entire background with a thin wash of ivory black tinted with burnt umber. This dark ground is not decoration; it's the foundation for all value relationships. Leave it slightly warm to prevent deadness.
02
Build the Face—Structural Tones
Mix a warm mid-light tone (yellow ochre, cadmium red light, white, touch of burnt umber) and lay it across the face as a unified foundation. Define the shadow structure with a deeper version of this mix, working soft edges between light and shadow. Avoid modeling the face in detail yet; you're establishing the underlying form and proportions.
03
Mass in the Hair and Dress
The hair is a dark brown (burnt umber, black, touch of yellow ochre) anchoring the head. Keep it simple—one or two value shifts show its volume. The black dress is lighter than the background but darker than the face. Use a deep brown-black (burnt umber and black) for the dress mass, letting the background tone and dress tone separate without hard edges.
04
Define Lace Collar and Cuffs—Value Study
Block in the lace shapes with a light cream tone (white with touch of yellow ochre). Don't detail it yet; just establish where the lace volume sits and how it turns in space. Notice the lace collar drapes dramatically; the cuffs bunch and fold. These shapes matter before you add pattern.
05
Refine Flesh Tones—Subtle Variations
Work into the face with warm and cool shifts. The cheeks are warmer (more red); the forehead and upper face are cooler (more white and ochre, less red). The neck warms toward the shoulders. These shifts are gentle—no jarring color changes. Soften all transitions. Render the pearl necklace as a simple bright accent; don't overwork it.
06
Lace Pattern—Controlled Detailing
With a smaller brush and thinned paint, add the delicate scrollwork pattern to the lace collar and cuffs. The pattern isn't harsh—use a medium value (not pure white) so it reads as lace texture rather than graphic lines. Follow the geometry you see: the collar shows sweeping curves, the cuffs show tighter, clustered folds. Don't paint every detail; suggest enough for the eye to complete it.
07
Red Fabric Left Edge
The warm red-brown fabric on the left, glimpsed behind her shoulder, anchors the color warmth. Keep it soft and understated—it's a supporting element. Use cadmium red light, burnt umber, and ochre in a warm mid-tone. Let it fade into the background rather than compete for attention.
08
Final Refinement and Atmospheric Glaze
Step back and assess the overall value structure. The face should be noticeably lighter than everything else. Subtle warm glazes (linseed oil with burnt umber and ochre) over shadows and background deepen atmosphere and unify color. Handle the fan simply—a few strokes suggest its form without distraction. Soften any edges that feel too sharp. The hand holding the fan should be modeled but restrained in detail.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Lightening the background out of timidity—the near-black void is essential to the portrait's presence. Without it, the figure collapses into the ground.
Overworking the face with detail or edge crispness—the power lies in soft, seamless modeling. Resist the urge to 'finish' the face with outlines or hard shadows.
Making the lace pattern too bold or geometric—it should read as delicate textile, not stained glass. Restraint with brushwork sells the illusion.
Ignoring the subtle warm-cool oscillation in the flesh tones—if the face reads as one flat beige, the illusion of form and life evaporates.
Focusing too heavily on the fan and hand—they're supporting players. Many students spend disproportionate effort here when the face demands your attention.

measured difficulty