HIERONIMO CUSTODIS | Portrait of Field Marshal Sir William Pelham, three-quarter length, with coat of arms and inscription

Anonymous sale, London, Phillips, 10 November 1954, lot 7;
D.H. Cevat, Motcomb Street, London, by 1955;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 30 June 1968, lot 10;
East Barsham Manor, Norfolk;
Their sale, Phillips, 21 September 1977, lot 142;
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 9 July 2009, lot 2;
There acquired.

The panel is cradled, flat and in stable condition. The panel consists of three planks joined vertically. No beveling is apparent on the top and bottom edges of the panel, and the right and left edges are obscured by the cradle. The paint surface reads well. Small losses are visible to the naked eye at the upper right corner, as well as pin dot losses at the left middle edge, probably due to frame abrasion. The paint surface appears thinner or dirtier to the naked eye in the lower right quadrant of the painting, for example in the sitter's proper left hand. Under UV inspection, old retouching is visible in the figure's face under a layer of varnish. More recent retouching is concentrated along all four edges to address frame abrasions, as well as along the two vertical panel joins. The painting can hang as is and may benefit from some attention or varnish. Offered in a decoratively 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This portrait repeats the composition of 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, Lord Sandys, the sitter was probably 30 years old when he was appointed captain of the pioneers at the siege of Leith in 1560, where he was specially commended for his valor. 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 was so impressed with his competency and judgement that he was promoted to Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance and spent the next few years strengthening the defenses of the realm. In the summer of 1579, Pelham was sent to Ireland to organize the defenses of the Pale against the rebellion of James FitzMaurice Fitzgerald, which threatened to spread from Munster. Knighted by Sir William Drury on 14 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 well documented English military activity in the aftermath of FitzMaurice's rebellion and the subsequent suppression of the Earl of Desmond's uprising.

After 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 to 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 while inspecting the defenses 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.