Philippe de Momper was one of the ten children of the Antwerp painter Josse de Momper. Alongside Philippe, another of his sons - named Gaspard - may also have worked as an artist, but little is known of his biography. Philippe's comparatively short life is thankfully more thoroughly documented.

We know that he was born in 1598 and that he was a close friend of Jan Brueghel the Younger. Both resided in Italy from 1622 - 1624, where Philippe painted several scenes of Rome and its surroundings. Upon his return to Antwerp in 1624, Philippe became a master, but died at just 36 years of age one year before his father Josse.

Philippe had worked in his father's studio and was well accustomed to his style, but...