Everhard Jabach (1618–1695) and His Family

Executed in oil paint on canvas, the monumental portrait measures 280 × 328 cm, a format suited to its formal family subject. The composition assembles Everhard Jabach with a woman, children, an infant, and a dog in an interior filled with paintings, a sculpture, and a self-portrait of the artist, creating a layered scene that conveys the family's wealth and cultural engagement. Stylistically, the work functions as both a group portrait and a display of domestic treasures, characteristic of Baroque portraiture's emphasis on narrative and status.

This large-scale oil painting, created by Charles Le Brun around 1660, portrays the German financier and art collector Everhard Jabach alongside his wife, Anna Maria de Groote, and their four children. Executed during Le Brun's tenure as premier peintre du roi to Louis XIV, the work serves as a testament to the family's status and cultural aspirations. The artist also subtly included his own image within the composition, reflecting his prominent position in French art at the time.

This particular version of the portrait, long considered lost, originally adorned Everhard Jabach's residence in Paris. Following his death, it moved to Cologne, where it was admired by notable figures like Goethe and Reynolds. In the late 1790s, a descendant sold the painting, leading to its disappearance into a British private collection for over a century, during which its top edge was folded to fit a smaller space. The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired the canvas in 2014, subsequently undertaking extensive conservation work.