The following text was written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher of Laguna Woods, California:

Jacob Jordaens was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1593. In 1607 he entered the studio of Adam van Noort, whose daughter he later married. In 1615 he became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke, and in 1621, its President. He painted only a few portraits, among them his well-known self-portraits. For the most part he worked on large and ambitious decorative projects, employing a staff of students and assistants.

Born in another age or in another country, Jordaens might have been considered a great painter. But Vermeer, Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck were all famous ...