Jan van der Heyden, (born March 5, 1637, Gorinchem, Neth.—died March 28, 1712, Amsterdam), leading painter of cityscapes in late-17th-century Holland, was especially known for his views of Amsterdam done in the 1660s.

Little is known of his early life, though it is recorded that van der Heyden studied under a Dutch glass painter. In 1650 van der Heyden's family moved to Amsterdam, where he lived for the rest of his life. Recurrent subjects in his paintings seem to indicate he traveled to Brussels, Cologne, and perhaps even farther before his marriage in 1661. Later in life he possibly visited London.

Although he painted a few landscapes and still-life pictures, van der Heyden's reputation rests upon h...