Attributed to Nicolas MAES (1634–1693) - Lot 44

Attributed to Nicolas MAES (1634–1693) Presumed portraits of Pierre Marin NIEULANT (1647–1684) and Anne-Marie ROELOF (1649–1699) Pair of oil-on-canvas paintings H_108 cm W_77 cm One bears the inscription “AETATIS SUAE 24” and is dated 1675. Pierre Marin Nieulant, Lord of Bruane, married Anne-Marie Roelof on September 1, 1671, at the Church of Our Lady in Bruges, the city where they were both born. Together, they had five children. These portraits, likely commissioned following their marriage, follow the tradition of Northern European painting. The quality of their execution suggests the hand of an established master—more specifically, the style of Nicolas Maes, who became a highly sought-after portrait painter beginning in the 1660s. Having settled in Amsterdam in 1673, he was in such high demand that his patrons often had to wait a long time for the delivery of a painting. A student of Rembrandt in his youth and an admirer of Van Dyck, his refined brushwork and talent for chiaroscuro were highly prized by high society. Appraisal: Cabinet Artéon Appraiser: Cabinet Artéon