An old woman praying, c.1655 (oil on canvas)

This painting, which is signed on the ragged sheet of paper on the right edge, was probably painted about 1655. Several paintings of that time seem to show the same model. It has been suggested that this may have been intended as a portrait showing the woman engaged in meaningful activity rather than simply posed. The hourglass and skull are common symbols of mortality; the books, snuffed candle, sculpted head of a child, and roses are probably also meant as reminders of the transience of earthly existence. Examination of the painting with x-rays has revealed that it is painted over a three-quarter-length portrait of a young woman. Although such investigation cannot support a positive identification, the portrait seems to be of high quality and closely related to Maes's early style. Nicolaes Maes studied with Rembrandt around 1650 and returned to his hometown of Dordrecht in 1653. He is best known for his genre paintings of domestic life painted in the 1650s. About 1660 he became a portrait specialist, and his style changed markedly to reflect the fashionable French and Flemish portrait style of the time.