Abraham Bloemaert, December 25, 1566–January 27, 1651, was a Dutch painter, draftsman, and print designer. Born in Gorinchem, he moved with his family to Utrecht in 1575 and trained there with Gerrit Splinter and Joos de Beer before studying in Paris and Fontainebleau, including with Hieronymus Francken.

Bloemaert settled permanently in Utrecht, where he became a leading history painter and a prolific designer of landscapes and devotional images. He served in the painters’ guild and, with Paulus Moreelse, helped establish a drawing academy; his long career moved from late Mannerism toward a more naturalistic Baroque style influenced by the Utrecht Caravaggists.

His pupils included Gerard van Honthorst, Hendrick ter Brugghen, and Cornelis van Poelenburch, as well as his artist sons Hendrick, Cornelis, Adriaen, and Frederik. Bloemaert remained active into old age, and the wide circulation of prints after his designs extended his influence well beyond Utrecht.

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