Artwork
Family portrait
Family portrait is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob van der Merck. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a formal portrait genre piece, the painting serves to document the likeness and presence of the sitters within a single composition.
The work is a group portrait created in 1650 by Jacob van der Merck that depicts a family. As a formal portrait genre piece, the painting serves to document the likeness and presence of the sitters within a single composition. The subject matter is explicitly identified as a family unit, reflecting the 17th-century tradition of capturing domestic groups to signify lineage and social standing.
The depiction focuses on the collective identity of the family members rather than individual narratives or allegorical symbolism.
Technique & Style
Created in 1650 by Jacob van der Merck, this family portrait is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 151 cm in height and 195 cm in width, presenting a substantial horizontal format typical of group portraiture from the period. As a painting classified within the portrait genre, the piece utilizes traditional oil media to depict a family group.
The application of oil on canvas allowed for the detailed rendering of figures characteristic of the artist's approach to domestic subjects during the mid-17th century.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Family portrait was created by Jacob van der Merck in 1650. Executed in oil paint on canvas, the work depicts a family group and measures 151 cm in height by 195 cm in width. Historical records indicate that the piece was once owned by Adriaan Justus Enschedé. The artwork is currently part of the collection at the Rijksmuseum.
Family portrait by Jacob van der Merck (1650) is an oil painting on canvas measuring 151 cm by 195 cm. It entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum and was owned by Adriaan Justus Enschedé before accession. The work has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum and was featured in the 19th-century Dutch interior painting exhibition at the Amsterdam Museum.
The provenance records indicate ownership by Adriaan Justus Enschedé, and the accession number is not specified in the provided sources.
Exhibition history includes a presentation at the Rijksmuseum and participation in a 19th-century Dutch interior painting exhibition at the Amsterdam Museum.
Overview
Created around 1650, this oil painting by Jacob van der Merck presents a domestic group in a restrained, three‑person arrangement. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies the sober palette and compositional balance typical of mid‑seventeenth‑century Dutch portraiture.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
- Family scene
Ceres and Bacchus
Saint Louis of Gonzaga
Young Woman with a Candlestick, Old Woman and a Violin Player
Saint Louis IX, King of France, the Crusader
Asetelma
Still Life with Small Game, Basket of Fruit, Goldfinches and a Squirrel
Portrait of the artist with his family
Ceres
Soldiers Beside a Fireplace
Allegory of Autumn
Still Life with Small Game, Fruit, Lobster and a Squirrel
The Contest for the Bouquet: The Family of Robert Gordon in Their New York Dining-Room
The Saithwaite Family
The Wife of Hasdrubal and Her Children
Madame Georges Charpentier and her Children
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Family Group
Everhard Jabach (1618–1695) and His Family
The Family of Mr. Westfal in the Conservatory