A presence in London

Gerlach Flicke arrived in London around 1545, carrying the weight of his German training from Osnabrück. He moved through the city presenting himself as a successor to Hans Holbein, a claim that placed him directly within the orbit of the Tudor court. His Latinized name, Gerbarus Fleccius, and the addition of Germanus to his signatures suggest a man conscious of his origins even as he sought footing in England. He worked with oils on panel and paper, capturing faces that defined an era.

His hands recorded the likenesses of those in power, including Thomas Cranmer. In 1545, he completed a portrait of the Archbishop, a work now held in the National Portrait Gallery. There is a quiet precision in how he approached his subjects, whether it was the full-length figure of Lord Darcy or the smaller, more intimate studies that emerged during harder times.

Shadows and miniatures

Life in London brought periods of confinement. In 1554, Flicke found himself imprisoned, perhaps caught in the religious shifts under Mary I. It was within these walls that he produced some of his most personal work. Alongside a privateer named Henry Strangwish, he created a diptych of miniatures. These small pieces, less than four inches high, show the painter and the lute player side by side.

One of these miniatures is a self-portrait, the first of its kind in oils made on English soil. He painted it from a looking glass, leaving a Latin inscription that speaks of his time in the City of London. The text mentions he painted it for dear friends, so they might remember him after his death. It is a small, fragile thing, yet it holds the direct gaze of the man himself.

The final years

Flicke’s life ended in the parish of St Giles-without-Cripplegate on 24 January 1558. Even as his death approached, his ties to his birthplace remained. His will, certified by his wife Katharina, made mention of property back in Osnabrück. He left his belongings to a servant in that same German town, a final link to the place where his training began.

His recorded works include:

• Portrait of Thomas Cranmer (1545)
• Self-portrait (1554)
• Double portrait of Gerlach Flicke and Henry Strangwish (1554)
• Portrait of Thomas, First Lord Darcy of Chiche (circa 1551)