Benjamin Gerritsz Cuyp was born into a Dutch family of artists. Benjamin entered the Guild of St Luke on 27 January 1631. As no dated works by Benjamin are known, it is difficult to chart the artist's development accurately, although several different styles of painting can be isolated. In his handling of religious subjects, Benjamin may be considered an important follower of Rembrandt, with whom, however, he seems to have had no direct contact. His fellow townsmen Paulus Lesire (1611-after 1656) and Hendrik Dethier, who also entered the Guild in 1631, were also strongly influenced by Rembrandt's early work, as indeed were such later Dordrecht artists as Ferdinand Bol, Nicolaes Maes, Samuel van Hoogstraten and Aert de ...