David Teniers the Younger, an outstanding Flemish painter of the 17th century, was born in 1610 in Antwerp. His father, David Teniers the Elder, was also an artist, and his son received his first drawing and painting lessons from him. According to researchers, his father’s financial difficulties, on the one hand, became the reason for the rather difficult early years of the future master, and on the other hand, prompted him to start earning his bread early with his own work and achieve recognition.

However, an important contribution to David’s success was made by his very successful marriage at the age of twenty-seven to the daughter of the famous painter Jan Brueghel the Elder, Anna Brueghel. She was also an artist, a student of Rubens himself, and the marriage helped Teniers gain the patronage of the master, which later grew into a strong friendship. In 1644, David took a position in the guild of Antwerp artists – the Guild of St. Luke and gradually gained fame in local circles of artists and connoisseurs of painting.

The Viceroy of the Spanish Netherlands, Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, began to patronize Teniers and in 1651 invited him to his palace, Coudenberg. Teniers became the court painter and keeper of an extensive gallery. One of David’s most famous paintings depicts them both against the backdrop of numerous canvases from the Archduke’s collection. Incidentally, Teniers was commissioned to publish an album of 244 engravings, which were reproductions of paintings from this collection. The album was published in 1658 and was the first illustrated catalog of a private art collection in history.

In the following years, Teniers worked extensively and successfully to order. Among his most famous clients were King Philip IV of Spain and the stadtholder of the Netherlands, William II of Orange. The artist even tried to obtain a noble title for himself, but to no avail.

In 1656, the artist was widowed. Six months later, he married Isabella de Fresne, who was the sister of the Consul of Brabant. In 1662, David acquired his own castle near the town of Vilvoorde.

Teniers played a very significant role in the founding of the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts, and in 1663 he became its first rector. At the same time, he was awarded the long-awaited title of nobility and from then on stopped charging for his paintings.

At the end of his life, the artist suffered from numerous illnesses. In addition, after the death of their mother in 1683, the children from his second marriage initiated a long-term lawsuit against their father, which did not end even after the artist’s death in 1690.