Nicolaes Maes (1643–1693), The Poultry Shop

Nicolas Maes
Dutch painter
Dordrecht 1643 – 1693 Amsterdam
The Poultry Shop
Oil on canvas: 74.5 x 92.1 cm
Unsigned
Second half of the 1650s
Frame: 95.0 x 113.2 cm

Provenance: Amsterdam, Douwes Fine Art

Published by
- Werner Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schüler, Vol. VI, 1994, p. 3731, no. 2374, and illustrated on p. 3985
- Leon Krempel, Studien zu den datierten Gemälden des Nicolaes Maes, 2000, p. 355, no. D-7, and illustration 59

Exhibited in Hoorn, Westfries Museum, *Smakelijk eten in de Gouden Eeuw*, 12/10/10 – 4/3/11

Full transparency: our purchase price €54,000
Our export price €57,305

The artificial beauty mark of the poultry seller, a round piece of velvet near herright eye, concealed a hidden message. It stood for “passionate”.   
NicolaesMaes was an important Dutch master, active in Dordrecht and in Amsterdam. Hewas one of the best pupils of Rembrandt.  
Between1653 and 1660 Maes specialised in genre scenes, such as ours (and in religioussubjects). From 1660 onwards he devotedhimself almost exclusively to portraiture.Werner Sumowski dates our painting circa 1656 – 1658,so as a late genre scene, before Maes fully turned to portraiture. 

Although both Sumowski, who wrote extensively about Rembrandt’s pupils, and Leon Krempel who published the monograph on Nicolaes Maes both agree that our painting is by Maes, Ishould also mention the opinion of Fred Meijer who proposes an attribution to Maes’ stepson, Justus de Gelder (of whom only one signed painting is known and who apparently never became a professional painter) or a collaboration between Maes and de Gelder.