1620 Haarlem
1683 Amsterdam

It must have been the year 1620 when Nicholaes Berchem was born in Haarlem. He came into contact with painting at a pretty young age due to his father, Pieter Klaasze, who was a painter too - however, an average one only. In June 1642 Berchem joined the painter's guild Haarlem St. Lucas Guild. Berchem first married Catrijne Claesdr. de Groot in 1646, and soon after, as a widower in his second marriage, the daughter of his former teacher Jan Wils. Berchem was an extremely productive artist about 850 paintings and 500 drawings which made him one of the few well-paid painters of his time. Nicholaes Berchem finally moved to Amsterdam in 1677 where he died in 1683.