Bright red tones unify this painting, linking the maid’s costume, the apples she peels, and the Turkish carpet on the table. Painted a few years after Maes left Rembrandt’s studio, this picture reveals the artist’s debt to his teacher in its soft contours and effects of light. Previous painters had made housemaids the subject of comic or sexually suggestive scenes. With this sensitive and ennobling depiction, Maes made an important innovation.
Young Woman Peeling Apples, Nicolaes Maes (Dutch, Dordrecht 1634–1693 Amsterdam), Oil on wood
Loan Restrictions
Title: Young Woman Peeling Apples
Artist: Nicolaes Maes (Dutch, Dordrecht 1634–1693 Amsterdam)
Date: ca. 1655
Medium: Oil on wood
Dimensions: 21 1/2 x 18 in. (54.6 x 45.7 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913