This fine early 17th-century bust-length portrait, attributed to the workshop of Flemish artist Gortzius Geldorp (1553-c.1619), depicts a gentleman possibly associated with the Lieven family.
Dressed in an exquisite black doublet, embroidered extensively with a floral design and topped with a lace-edged standing collar, he’s subtly displaying his status via a monochromatic ensemble. The portrait dates to circa 1610 when Geldorp was in the later stages of his career and worked predominantly in Cologne.
On the reverse, a wax seal dating to the early 19th century displays two conjoined coats of arms. One of these relates to the Lieven family, specifically its ‘princely seal’, which applied from 1826 when Charlotte Margarete Fürstin von Lieven was granted the hereditary title of Princess in the Russian Empire. She married Baron Otto Heinrich von Lieven, who descended from one of the oldest aristocratic families of German-Baltic origin. The Lieven line is well documented and dates to, at least, the 12th century.
There are two plausible reasons why the portrait bears the princely seal. Either the sitter is an ancestor of Charlotte Margarete Fürstin von Lieven (nee Baroness von Gaugreben)/Baron Otto Heinrich von Lieven, or it could simply have been applied to any painting within the Lieven collection. Geldorp was a respected master in Cologne and perhaps the Lievens acquired this piece. The pair had several children.
Gortzius Geldorp was born in Leuven, Flemish Brabant, and information relating to the early part of his 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 our conservation process, the elaborate detailing on the gentleman’s doublet became evident, much to our astonishment. It’s challenging to photograph and not visible from the photography so please refer to the PDF for further information. It resembles the artist's handling in another of his works from a similar period. In addition, the lacework is very close in design and handling to that displayed on his portrait of Simon VI, Count of Lippe (1554-1613), dated 1601.
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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. One of the most compelling works to compare with ours is a portrait of Christ, circa 1600, produced by his workshop.
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.
Inscribed ‘Gorzius Geldorp’ on the reverse and held in a later frame.
Learn more about Gortzius Geldorp in our directory.
Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 17½” x 21” / 44cm x 53cm
Year of creation: c. 1610
Labels & Inscriptions: Wax seal on the reverse displaying heraldry relating to the Lieven family.
Provenance: Private collection, Finland.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. Repairs to split in panel (inlaid butterfly patch). Historic repairs and areas of in-painting. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
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: BRV1971
