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Gortzius Geldorp
By Gortzius Geldorp, Manly Portrait

1605

About the Item

Gortzius Geldorp (Leuven, 1553 - Cologne, 1618) Portrait of a man Oil on panel, 52 x 45 cm Framed, 56.5 x 45 cm Dated and monogrammed at upper right: AN° 1605. GG F. Geldorp Gortzius, artist of the sublime panel under consideration, was born in Leuven, a city located east of Brussels, in 1553 and died in Cologne in 1618. Karel van Mander (1548 - 1606), the first biographer to report on the Flemish artist, referred to him as "Gualdrop Gortzius gheseyt Geldrop" (Gualdrop Gortzius called Geldrop), indicating his family's possible origin from the village of Geldrop in the province of North Brabant. At present there is no knowledge of his real first name, nor does his signature provide any clue, as it consists solely of the monogram "GG," the first letters of his last name. Despite the incomplete information regarding his youthful training, Van Mander reports that at the age of about eighteen, he served an apprenticeship first in the workshop of Frans Francken the Elder (1542-1616) and later with Frans Pourbus the Elder (1541-85), both of whom were skilled pupils of Frans Floris, Antwerp's leading Renaissance painter. Geldorp's first known painting, The Last Supper as an allegory of the pacification of Ghent, dated 1576, already revealed to the public his great skill as a portrait painter, which led to his being appointed during these years as court painter to Charles of Aragon Tagliavia, duke of Newfoundland, in whose company he traveled to Cologne in 1579, when the duke served as Philip II's ambassador in the peace negotiations between the Netherlands and the Spanish crown. When the mission was over, Geldorp chose to remain in Cologne, immediately acquiring its citizenship, unlike most Dutch Catholic refugees. Due to his developed artistic talent he was appointed as a representative of the Cologne painters' guild, sitting on the city council in 1610 and again in 1613. About seventy paintings are attributed to Geldorp, most of them portraits of individuals belonging to the aristocracy or bourgeoisie: it is no coincidence that, after settling in the Rhine city, he had become the favorite portrait painter of the local elite, noting among his patrons the powerful Lyskirchen and Jabach families, as well as numerous German rulers. About him in 1609 the Dutch writer Matthias Quad noted in his history of German artists, "Geldorp, who currently lives in Cologne, is favored above all others for similarities from life." His son Georg was industrious first in Antwerp, then in England (1625-30) where he was portrait painter to the court of Charles I. Geldorp painted not only portraits, but also historical, mythological, and religious scenes, which typically took the form of highly portrait-like depictions. Van Mander, in fact, mentions some historical paintings such as a Diana, a Susanna, an Evangelist, the Story of Esther and Ahasuerus, as well as two busts of Christ and Mary. Another example is Venus/Young Woman en deshabillé (Sotheby's London auction May 2, 2018 lot 27), which shows Venus in the form of a portrait of a half-naked woman. From a stylistic and formal point of view, Geldorp's portrayed subjects are generally presented in half-length or face-first view, as in the panel under review, against a dark neutral background, which emphasized their physiognomies and three-dimensionality. The expressions, restrained and serene, are emphasized by special attention to the details of the faces, rendered with absolute realism. Light plays a key role here, as in most Flemish portraits, used wisely by Geldorp to create depth, volume, and a deep sense of naturalism that highlights not only the character's physical features but also his or her psychology, creating an intimate atmosphere.
  • Creator:
    Gortzius Geldorp (1553 - 1618, Dutch)
  • Creation Year:
    1605
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20.48 in (52 cm)Width: 17.72 in (45 cm)
  • More Editions & Sizes:
    52x45Price: $16,525
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Milan, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2639215787092

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