Hieronimo Custodis

Anonymous sale, Philips London, 10th November 1954, lot 7;
D.H. Cevat, motcomb Street, London, by 1955;
Anonymous sale, Christie's London, 31st June 1968, lot 10;
East Barsham Manor, Norfolk;
their sale, Phillips, 21st September 1977, lot 142

STRUCTURE The panel is in good condition, and has been cradled. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light reveals two vertical lines of retouching in the upper section of the panel, on either side of the sitter, where the panels meet. There is some minor strengthening in the sitter's forehead and scattered minor retouching in the sitters costume. There is a faintly opaque varnish overall. FRAME In an Italian Baroque style carved wood frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present portrait is after a painting of the sitter attributed to Cornelius Ketel (Earls of Yarborough). The son of William Pelham (d. 1538), of Laughton in Sussex, and his wife Mary, daughter of William Sandys, Lord Sandys, the sitter was probably thirty years old when he was appointed captain of the pioneers at the siege of Leith in 1560, where he was specially commended for his valour. He commanded the pioneers again at Le Havre in November 1562, under the Earl of Warwick, and in February 1563 assisted in the capture of Caen.

Following his return to England Pelham's knowledge of siege craft resulted in his employment by Portinari and Concio in improving the fortifications at Berwick against potential Franco-Scottish attack. The Privy Council were so impressed with his competency and judgement that he was promoted lieutenant-general of the ordnance and spent the next few years strengthening the defences of the realm. In the summer of 1579 Pelham was sent to Ireland to organize the defences of the Pale against the rebellion of James fitz Maurice Fitzgerald, which threatened to spread from Munster. Knighted by Sir William Drury on 14^th September of that year, he was elected lord Justice of Ireland on the latter's death on 3 October, and it was in this capacity that he presided over the English well documented English military activity in the aftermath of fitz Maurice's rebellion and the subsequent suppression of the Earl of Desmond's uprising.

Returning to England in October 1580, in January of the following year Pelham joined the Earl of Shrewsbury and Sir Henry Neville in the commission to escort Mary Queen of Scots from Sheffield Abbey to Leicestershire, and was promoted Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance.

In July 1586 Pelham accompanied the Earl of Leicester to the Netherlands, where he was advanced to Marshal of the army, and took a bullet in the stomach defending his commander-in-chief whilst inspecting the defences before Doesburg. He survived his injuries and was present at the siege of Zutphen in September 1586 when Sir Philip Sydney was mortally wounded, it is said, imitating Pelham's previous act of chivalry.