Marcus Gerards the Younger

unfinished portrait of Sir Henry Lee from 1600

Marcus Gerards the Younger (* around 1561 or 1562 in Bruges ; † January 19, 1636 ) was a Flemish Renaissance painter .

biography

Due to religious persecution in the Netherlands, Marcus Gerards the Elder fled to England with his son in 1568. There he taught his son the art of drawing, it is also possible that Gerards the Younger was also trained by Lucas de Heere (1534–1584). His first portrait is dated 1593. At that time he was already in the favor of Sir Henry Lee III , who at that time held an important position at the English royal court.

Gerard the Younger stayed in England, unlike his father, who returned to the Netherlands in 1587 to devote himself to art again. The younger one managed to earn a significant reputation. He is considered one of the most valued portraitists of the 1590s. Anna of Denmark in particular , who was in a relationship with the English King James I , is said to have taken a liking to his paintings.

In the 1610s he still received high salaries for his work, he even officially became the royal court draftsman, but during this time he was no longer able to assert himself against the new artists, which harmed his position at court. In the last twenty years of his life he received commissions mainly from academics and the nobility.

The English painter Ferdinando Clifton was his pupil.

Works (selection)

Queen Elizabeth I.

1592: Portrait of Elizabeth I
1592: Portrait of Lady Harrington
1608: Two year old boy
1610: Portrait of Sir William Fytche of Garnetts
1610: Portrait of Dorothy Cornwallis

Web links

Commons : Marcus Gerards the Younger - Collection of images, videos and audio files

personal data
SURNAME	Gerards, Marcus the Younger
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Flemish Renaissance painter
DATE OF BIRTH	1561 or 1562
PLACE OF BIRTH	Bruges
DATE OF DEATH	January 19, 1636