Portrait of Samuel Oppenheimer

Court factor Samuel Oppenheimer was a business genius who financed the emperor’s war against the Ottoman Turks, amongst other things. Oats were one of his most important trading commodities. As the “fuel” for horses, they were of great importance to the army. The portrait shows Oppenheimer at the peak of his career as an elegantly dressed nobleman. The status of Oppenheimer and his family was precarious, however. After his death in 1703, his family had a hard time of it. The imperial court refused to repay its debt of 5 million guilders and simply declared Oppenheimer’s estate to be bankrupt. His entire assets were lost in this way. A few years later some of his family were expelled from Vienna. The painting is a Copy and was engraved by Samuel Bürgel / Johann Andreas Pfeffel and Christian Engelbrecht (1704)