Gerard ter Borch

Timeline

1. 1632–1641Amsterdam · NetherlandsBorn into a family of painters, he trained early under his father, then traveled through Amsterdam, Haarlem, London, and German cities, observing and absorbing the techniques of Rembrandt and other contemporaries, laying the foundation for his refined realist style. He returned from Germany around 1641.
2. 1641–1650Münster · WestphaliaWorking in Münster and across the Netherlands in the 1640s, he completed his famous The Peace of Münster (The Ambassadors of Peace) in 1648, depicting the signing of the Peace of Westphalia. He also produced many interior genre scenes and portraits of the period, noted for satin textures and quiet atmosphere, gaining ever greater renown.
3. 1651–1681Deventer · OverijsselAfter the 1650s he mainly settled in Deventer, continuing to paint interior scenes and portraits and training pupils. His works circulated in courts and collections across Europe, indirectly influencing later painters such as Metsu and Canaletto. He died in Deventer in 1681.