Pierre-Paul Prud'hon and Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck with his family

'Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck with his family' (c.1801-02) by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, born on April 4, 1758, was a French painter who was both influenced by Neoclassicism and Romanticism. He gained the favour of Napoleon and became the portraitist of Josephine, the empress. He was famous for his allegories and portraits. Whereas the approach of the Neoclassicist Jacques-Louis David, who influenced his work, was academic and cold, Prud'hon used soft forms and soft light (in this respect influenced by Correggio). The painting shown here is a portrait of Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck and his family. Schimmelpenninck played an important role in Dutch politics during the 19th century but Prud'hon has chosen to depict him here as a father and husband rather than as a statesman. I think it's a lovely portrait, with beautiful warm and soft colours, but cannot remember having seen it while visiting the Rijksmuseum. Anyway, it's now in storage and hopefully will be on display again when renovations are finished in 2013.