Hieronimo Custodis facts for kids

A portrait of Elizabeth Brydges, aged 14, painted by Hieronimo Custodis in 1589. She was a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth I.

Hieronimo Custodis (also known as Hieronymus or Heironimos) was a talented artist from a region called Flanders (modern-day Belgium and Netherlands). He was a portrait painter, meaning he specialized in painting pictures of people. He lived and worked in England during the time of Queen Elizabeth I, until his death around 1593.

A New Home in England

Hieronimo Custodis was born in Antwerp, a city in Flanders. During his time, many artists from Flanders moved to England. They were often seeking safety because Protestants in the Spanish Netherlands (which included Flanders) were being treated unfairly.

It's believed that Custodis arrived in England sometime after 1585. This was when the city of Antwerp was taken over by the forces of the Duke of Parma. England offered a safer place for artists like him to work.

His Paintings and Life in London

We know Custodis was living in London by 1589. This is because three of his English portraits are signed and dated from that year. Some experts, like Sir Roy Strong, believe he might have arrived even earlier. They have found other portraits, like one of Sir Henry Bromley (from 1587) and a young Edward Talbot (from 1586), that seem to be his work.

In 1591, Custodis was living in the area of St Botolph-without-Aldgate in London. Records show that his son, Jacobus, was baptized there on March 2nd of that year.

Custodis is thought to have died in 1593. This is because all his known paintings are dated between 1589 and 1593. Also, his wife remarried in 1593, which suggests he had passed away by then.

Identifying His Art

Not all of Custodis's paintings are signed. However, experts can still identify his work by looking closely at the writing on the paintings. He had a very specific way of writing dates and names. This unique style, called "palaeographical peculiarities," helps match unsigned paintings to his known signed works.

This picture shows the special way Custodis wrote on his paintings, which helps experts identify his work.

Gallery of His Work

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  Edward Talbot, who later became the 8th Earl of Shrewsbury, painted in 1586.

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  Giles Brydges, 3rd Baron Chandos, painted in 1589.

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  Sir John Harington of Kelston, painted between 1590 and 1593.

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  Sir John Ashburnham, painted in 1593.