Portrait of the Frankfurt Banker Johann Georg Leerse, 1749

About the Acquisition

When Jakob Philipp Nikolaus Leerse of Frankfurt, known as Manskopf, died in 1892, his family agreed that the Städel should receive three portraits of his ancestors as a gift. In 1905, however, a conflict of interest arose between the descendants and the administration over these portraits by the French painter Nattier. The family felt that any copying or reproduction of these much-loved paintings showed a “lack of respect for the portrait subjects”. It was not until 1928 that, by mutual agreement, a postcard reproduction was printed and sold.