Artwork
An Old Woman Peeling Apples
An Old Woman Peeling Apples is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Nicolaes Maes. It dates from 1655 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Overview
A large spinning wheel dominates the background, and a small window admits daylight that illuminates the figure’s face and the objects around her.
Created in 1655 by Dutch artist Nicolaes Maes, this oil painting portrays a quiet domestic scene. An elderly woman is seated at a modest table, peeling apples while a basket rests in her lap. A large spinning wheel dominates the background, and a small window admits daylight that illuminates the figure’s face and the objects around her. The work is part of the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on an aged woman engaged in the simple, everyday task of preparing fruit, a motif that underscores themes of labor, age, and domestic routine. The presence of the spinning wheel hints at household productivity, while the careful handling of the apples may suggest the passage of time and the sustenance of family life within a modest interior.
Technique & Style
Maes employs a pronounced contrast of light and shadow, a chiaroscuro effect that draws attention to the woman's illuminated face and the gleaming apples. The muted palette and subdued background recede, allowing the tactile details of the fruit and the woman's hands to emerge with a near‑photographic realism. The brushwork balances fine modeling of flesh with broader strokes for the surrounding objects.
History & Provenance
Trained in the workshop of Rembrandt, Maes produced this work during his early period in Dordrecht before relocating to Amsterdam, where he later became a leading portraitist. The painting entered the Berlin Gemäldegalerie's holdings in the early 20th century, having passed through several private collections in the Netherlands and Germany before its acquisition by the museum.
Context
The piece belongs to the Dutch Golden Age tradition of genre painting, which favored intimate, everyday scenes that reflected middle‑class values. Maes, like many of his contemporaries, focused on the moral and visual appeal of domestic life, using modest interiors to convey a sense of order, diligence, and the quiet dignity of ordinary people.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolaes Maes (January 1634 – December 1693; buried 24 December 1693) was a Dutch painter known for his genre scenes, portraits, religious compositions and the occasional still life.
