Justus Sustermans

Variant namesauktoriserad namnform: Justus Sustermans

DatesBiographical dates: 1597 - 1681 Dead: dead 1681 Born: born 1597

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BiographyBiography: Justus Sustermans, who was the brother of the painters Cornelis, Jan and Frans Sustermans, painted portraits and history paintings. He also painted still lifes. In 1609 he became the pupil of Willem de Vos in Antwerp. Around 1616 he travelled to Paris where he spent three years working under the supervision of Frans Pourbus II, at that time court painter at the French court. Sustermans then travelled to Italy around 1619/1620 with Florence as his destination. He completed works for the Medici families and the Dukes of Tuscany as well as for Cosimo II, Ferdinando II and Cosimi III. He spent the period 1622–1624 working in Vienna for Ferdinand II, who ennobled him. He also worked in a number of other Italian cities, among them Rome in 1627 and 1645, Parma, Piancenza and Milan in 1640, Ferrara in 1645, Genoa in 1649 and Modena in 1649 (?), 1650, 1653 and 1656. He probably travelled to Spain in 1649 and worked in Innsbruck in 1653/1654 for Anna Maria de Medici, the consort of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. Susterman’s early portraits betray the influence of his teacher Frans Pourbus II, particularly in the highly detailed renderings of garments and lace. In Genoa he was influenced by the portraits by Anthony van Dyck.

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