Gortzius Geldorp was a master portraitist, known predominantly for his time in Cologne, Germany.

Born in Leuven, Flemish Brabant, information relating to the early part of Geldorp’s career is scarce. The art historian, Karel van Mander (1548-1606), was the first to allude to him, referring to him as ‘Gualdrop Gortzius gheseyt Geldrop’ (Gualdrop Gortzius called Geldrop), which suggests that his family hailed from Geldrop in North Brabant, The Netherlands. This remains uncertain however, as nothing is known of his forebears.

It’s generally accepted that he travelled to Antwerp in 1569 and trained under two of its principal painters, Frans Francken I (1542-1616) and Frans Pourbus the Elder (1545-1581). Pourbus was a master of highly individualised portrayals with fine details rendered deftly.

In 1576, Geldorp was appointed as court painter to the Duke of Terra Nova, Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia, and would accompany him on numerous European sojourns. In 1579, the pair travelled to Cologne as the Duke was serving as Philip II’s ambassador in peace negotiations with the Dutch. Here, it’s suggested that Geldorp remained and undertook numerous works depicting biblical subjects, such as ‘Esther and Ahasuerus’, yet very little documentation survives. In 1609, the Dutch writer Matthias Quad (1557-1613) described him as ‘currently living in Cologne’ and ‘favoured above all others for likenesses from life’. The same year, he was elected as a representative of the Cologne Painters' Guild.

During the later part of his career, he produced numerous bust-length portraits and small religious works with varying degrees of finesse. The majority of these bear full attributions as ‘by’ the artist. However, in our view, we feel that some of these were completed by assistants, at least in part.

Gortzius Geldorp died in Cologne circa 1619 and around 70 works are attributed to his hand. He’s represented in numerous public collections including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The British Museum, Museum of Fine Art in Budapest, Stadel Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. The artist George Geldorp (1580/1595-1665) was his son.

Public Collections

Lydiard House, National Trust at Kingston Lacy, The Schorr Collection, British Museum, Museum of Fine Art in Budapest, Stadel Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art.

Timeline

1553

Born in Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium.

1569

Travelled to Antwerp.

C. 1570

Trained under the Flemish painter, Frans Francken I (1542-1616).

Trained under the Flemish portraitist, Frans Pourbus the Elder (1545-1581).

C. 1576

Appointed court painter to the Duke of Terra Nova, Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia.

Travelled with the Duke on various sojourns.

1579

Accompanied the Duke on a trip to Cologne, Germany.

Between around 1605 and 1615, he’s known to have produced numerous bust-length portraits.

1609

Appointed a representative of the Cologne Painters’ Guild.

1610

Elected to the city council of Cologne.

C. 1619

Died in Cologne.