(Antwerp, Belgium, 1575 - July 17, 1632, Antwerp, Belgium)
Note: Flemish Mannerist painter who specialized in mythological scenes painted in a highly finished manner. He was a popular teacher who also had three painter sons.
Per Sarah Cantor, PhD, Kress Research Fellow, Bowdoin College Museum of Art - September 2015:
Hendrik van Balen I, born in Antwerp, likely studied with either Adam van Noort (1561-1641) or Marten de Vos (1532-1603). He was registered as a master in Antwerp Guild of St. Luke around 1592-3 and afterwards, traveled to Italy, returning in 1600. His extensive studio trained a number of artists, the most well-known being Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) in 1609. Van Balen produced both large altarpieces and small cabinet pictures, the latter of which were often collaborations with landscape, animal, and flower specialists, including Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625).