This late 16th-century portrait attributed to Flemish artist Gortzius Geldorp (1553-1618) depicts an older member of the Sani family. Produced in 1582 and fully signed, it represents the earliest known Geldorp portrait we’re aware of.
Dressed in a rather austere monochromatic ensemble, consisting of a black jerkin, doublet and breeches, he conveys experience, astuteness and wisdom. In the top left, a coat of arms represents the Sani family, who were predominantly associated with Tuscany, central Italy. ‘Blazon: azure with four maces of arms passed in a double St. Andrew’s cross, set aside by four stars, all in gold.’
The precise identity of the sitter is unknown, but it’s a surname with links to local government and art patronage, particularly in Siena. For instance, during the late 15th century, Andrea Sani held the role of Chief Magistrate, the highest office in city governance. And in 1550, the Sani family commissioned Italian mannerist painter, Domenico di Pace Beccafumi (1486-1551) to produce an altarpiece of Saint Michael Defeating the Rebel Angels for San Niccolò al Carmine church. 18th-century examples of the coat of arms can still be seen in Siena today.
Given the portrait’s date of 1582, another potential candidate is Michele Angiolo Sani, the Chancellor and Notary of Volterra, in the Tuscan mountains. Luigi Biadi’s ‘Storia della citta di Colle in Val d'Elsa’ (1859), refers to him performing civil duties in 1586. Or alternatively, it could relate to the Sanis of Crasciana in Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany, and specifically Salvestro Sani (b.1510).
Gortzius Geldorp was born in Leuven, Flemish Brabant, and information relating to the early part of his career is particularly scant. 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 details rendered with precision.
In 1576, Geldorp was appointed as court painter to the Duke of Terra Nova, Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia, and accompanied 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. It’s not until 1609 that his presence in Cologne can be verified, when Dutch writer Matthias Quad (1557-1613) records ‘Geldorp, currently living in Cologne, is favoured above all others for likenesses from life’. The same year, he was elected as a representative of the Cologne Painters' Guild.
His location and indeed his activity between 1579 and 1609 is a topic of debate and one explored by Thomas Fusenig and Regina Urbanek in their paper ‘One hundred years of Pseudo-Hans von Aachen: On Cologne portrait painting around 1600’. Also by Horst Vey in ‘Von Geldorp Gortzius in Budapest’. Our portrait appears to shed light on this ‘lost’ period as it suggests that, in 1582, he was working in Italy. This is conceivable when one considers that the Duke of Terra Nova, Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia, his primary patron, was Italian (b. Castelvetrano, Sicily) and on 18 October 1582, he was appointed Governor of Milan, a post he held until 1592. 1582 also witnessed the marriage of the Duke’s daughter, Giulia Tagliavia d'Aragona, to Fabrizio Carafa, Prince of Roccella.
Furthermore, it’s also plausible that, as the Governor of Milan, the Duke would’ve travelled to other regions, including Tuscany, taking Geldorp with him. So perhaps our sitter, a noble descendant of the Sani family, was a local city dignitary as per the aforementioned Andrea Sani, the Chief Magistrate of Siena.
Historians, Thomas Fusenig and Regina Urbanek, considered a series of unsigned portraits produced between 1587 and the early 1590s, which had been previously attributed to German artist Hans von Aachen (1552-1615). They concluded that the majority of these were possibly the work of Gortzius Geldorp and warranted further discussion. When these earlier works are compared for stylistic nuances with ours, the results are striking.
Beyond 1590, a number of Geldorp’s works are monogrammed ‘GG’, but there are no examples of his full signature for comparison. Ours bears the lettering ‘Geldrop’ and then, what appears to be, a partially legible forename starting with G. The form of the G is remarkably similar to another used by the artist in a monogram. He’s added a whimsical sword symbol - many artists of the period carried one.
His full name is also a point of contention with various adaptations recorded over the years. In 1604, Van Mander referred to him as ‘Gualdrop Gortzius, gheseyt Geldrop’, yet in Dutch inventories from 1614-1666, he’s recorded as ‘Geldorp’. The register of the Cologne Painters’ Guild holds the name of ‘Geldorf Curtius’.
The RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History records several versions: Geldorp Gortzius, Gelsdorp Gortzius, Gortzius Geldorp, Gualdorp Gortzius, Geldrop Gurtzius, Geldorf Gurtzius, Geldrop Gortzius, and Gualdorp Gortzius gheseyt Geldrop.
He 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.
Signed/dated in the lower left, further dated in the top left, and held in a later frame.
Learn more about Gortzius Geldorp in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 37” x 46” / 94cm x 117cm
Year of creation: 1582
Provenance: Private collection, Italy / With Giovanni Pratesi, Florence / Pandolfini, Florence, 24 October 2024 (Lot 122).
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Fine craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in excellent condition.
Artist’s auction maximum: £250,835 for ‘Portrait of Bernhard Sigismund zum Pütz with his Sons, Sigismund, Johann, and Jacob/Portrait of Catharina Broelmann with her Daughters, Sophie, Gertrud, Christine, and Catharina (1598)’, Oil on panel, Sotheby's, Master Paintings Part I, New York, 6 February 2025 (lot 320).
Our reference: BRV2021
