Johan Joseph Zoffany, 1733–1810, German, active in Britain (from 1760)
Title:
The Drummond Family
Date:
ca. 1769
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
41 x 63 inches (104.1 x 160 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1977.14.86
Gallery Label:
Zoffany, a German painter, was popular in eighteenth-century Britain for his group portraits. In this work, he depicts three generations of a wealthy Scottish family. Andrew Drummond, patriarch and founder of a major bank, sits at center while his son John stands to the left with two of his four children. To the right of Andrew is John’s wife, Charlotte, and their other two children. From the fine ponies, to the women’s lace-trimmed gowns, to Andrew’s gold-handled cane, Zoffany captures the luxurious details that convey the Drummonds’ fortune. A decade after this painting was made, the family became even richer when the bank took on an important government contract: funding the British army during the American War of Independence. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2025