(c1584 - 1632)
Painter and etcher Jan Porcellis was the son of a Flemish refugee with Spanish origins, who emigrated to the northern Netherlands. The family settled in Rotterdam, where Porcellis is first recorded in 1605. He probably began his career as a graphic artist and may have worked for the Rotterdam-based engraver and publisher Jan van Doetechum. Van Doetechum’s wife was related to British publisher Geoffrey Whitney, which may explain Porcellis spending time in London. In 1617 he moved to Antwerp, where he became a Master of the Guild. His earliest paintings date from the 1620s. He moved to Amsterdam and Haarlem, before finally settling at Soutermonde near Leyden, where he died in 1632. His son Julius also became a well-known marine painter.
