Pierre-Paul Prud'hon: Portrait of Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck and his family (1801 - 1802)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

A painting by the French artist Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (1758-1823). Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck (1761-1825), Lord of Nyenhuis, Peckedam and Gellicum, was a Dutch jurist, ambassador and politician who served as Grand Pensionary of the Batavian Republic from 1805 to 1806. The Batavian Republic was a French client state and the successor of the Dutch republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The Batavian republic was founded with the armed support of the French revolutionary armies and its politics were deeply influenced by the French. The Batavian republic continued to exist until 1806 when Napoleon Bonaparte forced the Dutch accept his brother Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. From 1805 until 1806 Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck served as the Grand Pensionary, the most important Dutch official, until he was was replaced by Napoleon's brother Louis Bonaparte. After the defeat of Napoleon Rutger Jan was a senator until he retired in 1825. Rutger Jan married with Catharina Nahuys (1765 - 1844) in 1788 and the couple had two children: Catharina (1790-1842), she married with Salomon baron Dedel, and Gerrit (1794-1863) who would later become prime-minister of the Netherlands. This portrait was painted in Paris when Rutger Jan was as the Dutch ambassador. Painting from 1801-1802.