During the years 1654-59 Maes painted small-scale genre paintings showing simple domestic scenes. These employ a restricted palette dominated by browns & reds & a rich 'chiaroscuro' (Italian for light-dark, meaning the balance of light & shadow), reflecting the training Maes had with Rembrandt in Amsterdam in the years around 1650. After 1660 Maes devoted himself exclusively to portraiture. On loan to the exhibition ' Rembrandt? The Master & his Workshop' at the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen from February to May 2006.