Where Is Portrait of Jordaens family? Museum Location

Q: Where can I see this painting?

This family portrait hangs at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Catherine the Great acquired it in 1779 from the Walpole collection at Houghton Hall in England.

Q: What do the symbols in this painting mean?

The lute represents family harmony, while the dog symbolizes conjugal fidelity. Grapevines on the pavilion carry similar meaning. The bread and wine reference the Eucharist, emphasizing the faith uniting the family members.

Q: Who painted this work?

Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678) was a leading Flemish Baroque painter from Antwerp. Along with Rubens and Van Dyck, he was one of the most important artists of 17th-century Flanders.

Jacob Jordaens painted the monumental family portrait around 1615, depicting himself with a lute alongside his parents and seven siblings. The artist's father Jacob the Elder, a cloth merchant, sits at the center with his wife Barbara van Wolshaten. Putti hovering above may represent three deceased sisters watching over the gathering.

The lute in Jordaens' hands symbolizes family harmony, while a dog in the foreground represents conjugal fidelity. The composition was influenced by Rubens, Jordaens' artistic mentor. Now at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, the painting remained in the family until the 18th century before passing through the collections of the Duke of Portland and Robert Walpole.

This family portrait hangs at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Catherine the Great acquired it in 1779 from the Walpole collection at Houghton Hall in England.

The lute represents family harmony, while the dog symbolizes conjugal fidelity. Grapevines on the pavilion carry similar meaning. The bread and wine reference the Eucharist, emphasizing the faith uniting the family members.

Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678) was a leading Flemish Baroque painter from Antwerp. Along with Rubens and Van Dyck, he was one of the most important artists of 17th-century Flanders.

Portrait of Jordaens family

Where to See It

The Artist

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The Apotheosis of Aeneas

The Apostles, St. Paul and St. Barnabas at Lystra

Christ Comes as a Gardener to Three Marys

Also at State Hermitage Museum

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Madonna with a Flower (Madonna Benois)

An Old Man with a Large Beard

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About Portrait of Jordaens family

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