A Renaissance Polymath
Sir Balthazar Gerbier was an Anglo-Dutch courtier, diplomat, art advisor, miniaturist, and architectural designer. Born in Middelburg, Zeeland, to a Huguenot family, he described himself as being fluent in several languages and possessing skills in mathematics, architecture, drawing, painting, and the creation of scenes, masques, and entertainments for princes. He also had a hand in making engines useful in war.
In London, Gerbier served as an art advisor to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, acting as a keeper of the Duke's collection by finding and negotiating the purchase of paintings. His architectural work for the Duke included overseeing remodelling at York House in the Strand and New Hall, Essex. He was also a miniaturist.
Diplomacy and Later Life
Gerbier traveled to Madrid as part of a diplomatic party with Prince Charles and Duke of Buckingham, where he painted a portrait of the Infanta. He maintained a close friendship with Peter Paul Rubens, even hosting him in London. Later, he served as an English agent in Brussels from 1631 to 1641.
During the Civil War and Commonwealth, Gerbier engaged in various ventures, including a banking scheme in France and a gold-hunting venture in Guiana. He also kept a painting academy in Bethnal Green. In his later years, he published essays on architecture, such as A brief Discourse concerning the Three Chief Principals of Magnificent Building. He died in Hampstead Marshall, Berkshire.
