Geronimo Gerardi (1595-1648) was a Flemish artist active in Italy. He was born Guilliam Walsgart[1] or Hyeronimus Gerards.[2]
Life
Born in
Antwerp, in his youth he came into contact with
Rubens and with
Anthony van Dyck. From 1620 onwards he was active in
Palermo and
Trapani in Sicily, acting as Flemish consular agent in Trapani in 1631, remaining in that city until his death.[3] During his time on the island he remained in contact with other Flemish painters there such as
Antoon van Dyck and
Giovanni Basquens.
The art historian Giovanni Mendola believes that his name ought to be the Italianisation of Guglielmo Walsgart, who he initially held to be another painter.[4]
Works
Miracle of Saint Isidore Agricola (1641), private collection[5]
^(in Italian) G.Mendola, Un approdo sicuro. Nuovi documenti per Van Dyck e Gerardi a Palermo, in Porto di Pittori e pittura a Palermo, 1570-1670, exhibition catalogue, V. Abbate et al. (editors), Electa, Napoli 1999, pp. 88-105
^(in Italian) p 194, Gaspare Palermo, "Guida istruttiva per potersi conoscere ... tutte le magnificenze ... della Città di Palermo"
[1], Volume secondo, Palermo, Reale Stamperia, 1816.
^Pagina 93, Fernando Rigon, "Fiamminghi e altri maestri: gli artisti stranieri nel patrimonio del Fondo Edifici di Culto del Ministero dell'Interno"
[2], L'Erma di Bretschneider, Roma, 2008, Pagine 140,
ISBN978-88-8265-510-5.