Hendrick Ter Brugghen began to study painting at the age of thirteen, possibly in the studio of Abraham Bloemart. On a visit to Rome, he encountered and was strongly influenced by the paintings of Caravaggio. After returning to Utrecht, Ter Brugghen painted in the studio of Gerrit van Honthorst.

Honthorst and Ter Brugghen and their followers became known as the Caravaggisti because they adopted Caravaggio's strong sense of light, dramatic contrast between light and dark, and focus on emotionally charged subject matter. Ter Brugghen's style became more emotionally expressive, and his paintings acquired a heightened dramatic tone.

As a leader of the Caravaggisti, Ter Brugghen's paintings were in high demand and he ...