plate no. 3027

Two Chattering Housewives

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recreation guide

Nicolaes Maes’s 'Two Chattering Housewives' (1660) represents a pivotal moment in the artist’s career, marking the transition from his early Rembrandt-influenced genre scenes to a more mature style. As a pupil of Rembrandt, Maes initially applied chiaroscuro and a limited color palette to domestic interiors, endowing mundane tasks with solemn dignity (Source 5). However, by the 1660s, his style began to reflect the influence of Flemish portraiture, particularly Anthony van Dyck, incorporating more staging and accessories (Source 2). This work likely exhibits the 'inventive' expressive poses and gestures for which Maes was known during his early genre period, while beginning to show the structural innovations in interior space that he introduced, treating rooms as suites rather than shallow boxes (Source 5). The painting belongs to the Dutch Golden Age genre tradition, which specialized in depicting ordinary people in everyday activities, often with moralistic undertones or realistic detail (Source 4).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions (allowing for drying times between glazes)

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Red Ochre, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion)	Primary pigments for underpainting and glazing	Artist-grade oil paints
Linseed oil	Medium for mixing paint and glazing	Refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or Turpentine	Thinner for initial layers and cleaning	Odorless mineral spirits
Canvas or Panel	Support surface	Linen canvas or oak panel
Copal varnish (optional)	For final glazing layers if following Reynolds' method	Dammar or synthetic resin varnish

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a white or light-toned ground. While Maes’s early works often featured dark backgrounds (Source 2), the general practice of the period and the specific technique of glazing described in the sources suggests a prepared surface that allows for transparent layers. If following the 'old master' method cited, the ground should be smooth to facilitate the glazing process.

underdrawing

Sketch the composition with charcoal or thinned paint. Maes was known for 'unprecedented expressive poses, gestures and facial expressions' (Source 5), so the underdrawing should focus on capturing the dynamic interaction and 'chattering' gesture of the figures. Ensure the figures are placed within a structured interior space, as Maes treated domestic interiors as 'suites of rooms' rather than shallow boxes (Source 5).

underpainting

Create a monochrome underpainting (grisaille). Extract the red and yellow colors mentally, painting the forms in neutral tones (black, white, ultramarine) to establish light, shadow, and volume. This step is crucial for the glazing technique described in Source 1. The underpainting should be allowed to dry completely before proceeding.

color palette

Ultramarine

Pure ultramarine

Underpainting shadows and cool tones

White

Lead white or modern titanium white

Highlights and mixing in underpainting

Black

Ivory black or lamp black

Underpainting shadows and depth

Red Ochre/Vermilion

Transparent red glaze

Glazing over flesh tones and fabrics

Yellow Ochre

Transparent yellow glaze

Glazing over highlights and warm areas

composition

The composition likely features two female figures engaged in conversation. Maes’s genre scenes often included moralistic themes or emphasized the dignity of domestic life (Source 5). The figures should be posed with expressive gestures, characteristic of Maes’s inventive approach to genre painting (Source 5). The interior space should be structured to suggest depth, possibly showing a doorway or window to imply a suite of rooms (Source 5).

step by step

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

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the figures and interior architecture with charcoal or thinned paint. Focus on the expressive gestures and the spatial layout of the room.
Tip — Ensure the poses convey the 'chattering' interaction described in the title.
Underdrawing

underpainting

step 02
Paint a grisaille underpainting using black, white, and ultramarine. Establish the chiaroscuro effects, typical of Maes’s Rembrandt-influenced style.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow tones, focusing on form and light.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Begin glazing with oil and transparent red and yellow tones.
Tip — Apply thin, transparent layers to build up color richness.
Glazing

refining

step 04
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) over darker areas to create coldness or grey blooms, if needed for atmospheric effects.
Tip — Watch for the underlying painting showing through the semi-opaque layer.
Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Add final details and highlights. Ensure the 'fat over lean' rule is followed to prevent cracking.
Tip — Each layer should contain more oil than the previous one.
Layering

varnishing

step 06
Apply a final varnish if desired, following the old master practice of using varnish and oil mixed for later glazes.
Tip — Ensure the painting is fully dry before varnishing.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing

Applying transparent coats of color over a dry monochrome underpainting to achieve rich, deep colors. This was a common practice among old masters, including Maes’s contemporaries.

Chiaroscuro

Using strong contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional forms. Maes applied Rembrandt’s stylistic characteristics, including chiaroscuro, to his domestic scenes.

Fat over Lean

Ensuring each subsequent layer of paint contains more oil than the previous one to allow proper drying and prevent cracking.

common pitfalls

→Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can lead to muddying of colors.
→Violating the 'fat over lean' rule, causing the paint film to crack and peel over time.
→Over-modeling in the underpainting, which can obscure the luminous quality of the glazes.

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 clothing patterns, jewelry, or exact room layout in 'Two Chattering Housewives' are not described in the provided sources.
·The exact pigment mixtures used by Maes for this specific painting are not detailed, though general period practices are inferred.
·The specific moralistic theme or narrative implied by the 'chattering' is not explicitly stated in the sources, though Maes often included such undertones.

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 Glazing and scumbling techniques, grisaille underpainting

cross-referenced from

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

Wikipedia bio — Nicolaes Maes↗
- part 5 — applied to Maes’s use of chiaroscuro, expressive poses, and interior space structure
- part 2 — applied to Influence of Flemish portraiture and Van Dyck on Maes’s mature style
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- part 2 — applied to General oil painting techniques, 'fat over lean' rule
Wikipedia: Genre painting↗
- part 1 — applied to Context of genre painting and everyday life depiction