Abraham de Verwer was probably born in Haarlem, which was where he was living with his wife, Barbara Sillevorts, in 1607. Her will, which a Haarlem notary drew up for her in that very year, identifies her husband as a cabinet maker.[1] When Abraham de Verwer appeared before an Amsterdam notary on January 9, 1617, however, he was identified as a painter.[2] Thus, De Verwer must have learned the art of painting between 1607 and 1617, probably by studying with the famous Haarlem marine painter Hendrick Vroom (1563-1640) before moving to Amsterdam.

De Verwer's early marine paintings of the 1620s reflect the large, brightly colored, and highly detailed depictions of marine battles that characterize Vroom's work of the 1...