Jacob van Loo

Jacob van Loo (1614 – 26 November 1670) was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age, chiefly active in Amsterdam and, after 1660, in Paris. Van Loo is known for his conversational groupings; particularly his mythological and biblical scenes generally attributed to the genre of History painting. He was especially celebrated for the quality of his nudes to the extent that, during his lifetime, particularly his female figures were said to have been considered superior and more popular than those of his Amsterdam contemporary and competitor Rembrandt. In 1663, three years after fleeing to Paris, Jacob van Loo was accepted into the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture.

Though his father also painted, Jacob's success ensured that he would forever be referred to as the founder of the Van Loo family of painters; a dynasty which was influential in French and European painting from the 17th to the beginning of the 19th century.

Van Loo was born in Sluis; a town in the Dutch Republic. Some sources have speculated that his father, Jan van Loo, may have been a notary, but more often his father is described as a painter from whom Jacob van Loo received his early training. Little is known of Van Loo's early history due to the destruction of the city archives in Sluis during World War II. His early influences are said to have included Thomas de Keyser and Jacob Adriaensz Backer.

In 1635, van Loo moved to Amsterdam, In 1642 he married Anna Lengele, the sister of the painter Martinus Lengele (1604–1668). The couple had six children, including the painters Jean van Loo and his better known brother Louis-Abraham van Loo. Their grandsons, Jean-Baptiste van Loo and Charles-André van Loo were among the most famous French painters of the 18th century. They lived on Rozengracht in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam.

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