Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 5 works by Godfried Maes in our catalogue
In short
Of all the originals Godfried Maes left, the most famous is Holy Family (1682), in the collection of the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Close behind it come The Martyrdom of Saint George (1681) and Saint Martin raising a man from the dead (1687). Our catalog holds 5 works by Godfried Maes; the gallery has kept the 4 the world admires most, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
In this intimate oil on canvas, we find ourselves drawn into a private, tender moment shared by the Holy Family. The composition relies on a subtle diagonal movement, guiding the eye from the seated Virgin Mary on the left toward the Christ Child and Saint Joseph on the right. There is a profound sense of stillness here, despite the dynamic arrangement of the figures. The light is handled with a…
The 3 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Godfried Maes | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hermitage Museum |
Saint Petersburg | 1 | Holy Family |
 Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp |
Antwerp | 1 | The Martyrdom of Saint George |
 Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK) |
Ghent | 1 | Saint Nicholas of Myra |
Barely a decade, 1681 to 1689, gave the world every dated Godfried Maes original in this selection: here it is, year by year.
Pick a year to see its originals.
In this intimate oil on canvas, we find ourselves drawn into a private, tender moment shared by the Holy Family. The composition relies on a subtle diagonal movement, guiding the eye from the seated Virgin Mary on the left toward the Christ Child and Saint Joseph on the right. There is a profound sense of stillness here, despite the dynamic arrangement of the figures. The light is handled with a…
Holy Family (1682), Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. The Martyrdom of Saint George (1681) and Saint Martin raising a man from the dead (1687) come next.
33 years old: Holy Family dates from 1682, and Godfried Maes was born in 1649.
Our catalog holds 5 works by Godfried Maes, dated from 1681 to 1689.
Mostly in Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg), Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (Antwerp) and Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK) (Ghent). The museum table above lists them all.
On this page, the earliest is The Martyrdom of Saint George (1681) and the latest Saint Nicholas of Myra (1689).
In the vibrant, artistic heart of seventeenth-century Antwerp, a period defined by the dramatic interplay of light and shadow, Godfried Maes emerged as a master of the grand narrative. Born in 1649 to a lineage of artists, Maes was steeped in the traditions of the Southern Netherlands from his very first breaths. As the son of the painter Godfried Maes, his apprenticeship began within the intimate confines of his father's studio, where the fundamentals of form and color were etched into his developing mind. This early immersion provided him with a profound technical foundation, which he later refined under the tutelage of the esteemed history painter Pieter van Lint. By 1672, Maes had achieved the prestigious status of master within the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke, marking the beginning of a career that would see him rise to become the Dean of the Guild in 1682.
Maes’s artistic journey was one of immense scale and profound devotion. He did not merely paint; he constructed worlds of spiritual and mythological significance. His repertoire was vast, ranging from the solemnity of religious altarpieces to the complex, swirling allegories that adorned the ceilings of Europe's most opulent palaces. Whether he was capturing the martyrdom of a saint or the ethereal beauty of a classical myth, his work possessed a certain classicist gravity that positioned him as one of the final, magnificent voices of the Flemish Baroque tradition. His ability to command large-scale compositions allowed him to serve a prestigious clientele, including the high nobility and the influential clergy of Antwerp, Brussels, and Liège.
Beyond the canvas, Maes was a visionary designer whose influence extended into the very fabric of aristocratic life. He was a prolific draughtsman, a skill that made him an indispensable collaborator for the great tapestry workshops of his era. His intricate designs, or cartoons, were often realized by the workshop of Urbanus Leyniers in Brussels, translating his fluid pen strokes into monumental woven masterpieces. This versatility—moving between the delicate precision of black chalk and ink drawings and the sweeping grandeur of ceiling decorations—demonstrates an artist of rare breadth. His work for Eugen Alexander Franz, 1st Prince of Thurn and Taxis, featured allegorical scenes that glorified a powerful dynasty, proving that Maes was as much a political storyteller as he was a religious painter.
The twilight of his career was marked by some of his most ambitious decorative undertakings. Between 1697 and 1700, Maes was entrusted with the decoration of the ceiling at the Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels for Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria. In this monumental project, he wove together themes of Peace and Freedom, accompanied by the muses Calliope and Clio, creating a celestial vision that celebrated the stability of the state. Though his life was cut short in 1700, leaving him to be interred in the St. James Church in Antwerp, the echoes of his artistry remained. Through his teaching of subsequent masters and his enduring contributions to the decorative arts, Godfried Maes ensured that the splendor of the Flemish tradition would continue to inspire long after the final brushstroke had dried.
