Pair Of Large Empire Portraits Circa 1820 By Jean-baptiste Maes

Pair of portraits: a notable and his wife, Empire period Beautiful pair of large portraits painted in oil on canvas, representing a man and a woman in their elegant First Empire attire. The husband, seated in an armchair with armrests, holds a tortoiseshell and gold snuffbox, an attribute of a certain social rank. He is dressed in a thick brown coat over a white jabot shirt, in a sober and bourgeois style typical of the period. The portrait of his wife presents an elegant young woman wearing a high-waisted black velvet dress, adorned with rich accessories: light leather gloves, a shawl embroidered with oriental motifs and a beautiful pearl necklace. She wears in her hair a sumptuous tiara comb, a typical Empire accessory, in gold and decorated with coral pearls, emphasizing the richness and refinement of her outfit. his expression is soft and dignified, his gaze frank and intelligent,

“The portrait of the man is signed in the lower left corner JB Maes Pf (Pinxit) At Isel (in Belgium)  
Jean-Baptiste Louis Maes, known as Maes-Canini (Ghent, 1794 – Rome, 1856)
Baptiste Louis Maes was a Belgian artist, born in Ghent in 1794 and deceased in Rome in 1856. A student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, he was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1821, marking the beginning of his international career.
After a stay in Florence, Maes settled permanently in Rome in 1827, where he married the daughter of the Italian publisher Bartolomeo Canini. From then on, he began signing some of his works as Maes-Canini. He became an active figure in the Roman artistic community, notably serving as provisor of the Church of San Giuliano dei Fiamminghi, the Flemish national church in Rome, where he was also buried.
Jean-Baptiste Louis Maes is best known for his Italian genre scenes, including portraits of young Roman women and picturesque depictions of everyday life, as well as for his religious works, such as The Good Samaritan, held at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. He also painted romantic portraits and intimate neoclassical scenes.
His works are found in numerous private collections and museums, including:

• Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam)

• Museum of Fine Arts (Ghent)

• Various Italian and Flemish collections

Very good general condition, a very small hole at the top left of the portrait of the man Very beautiful frames with palmettes..

Frame 94x80 cm