A Popular Handbook to the National Gallery, Volume I, Foreign Schools / Including by Special Permission Notes Collected from the Works of John Ruskin

by Unknown

1425. PORTRAIT GROUP.

Le Nain (French: 1588-1648).

There were three brothers of this name, the sons of a sergeant at Laon, who all worked together as painters in Paris, and became members of the Academy in 1648, in which year two of them died. Mathieu painted historical subjects; he lived till 1677. The very interesting and pleasing pictures, such as the present one, most generally known as the works of Le Nain, were probably painted by the other brothers—Louis and Antoine—conjointly. Antoine was born in 1588; Louis in 1593. Their works consist of familiar objects and incidents, such as the "Peasants" and the "Blacksmith's Forge" in the Louvre; they have a direct air of truth and realism, which is very remarkable in contrast to the artificial taste by which other French painters of the same period were inspired. Another work by the brothers may be seen at Dulwich.