Jan van Bijlert was born at Utrecht, the son of a the stained glass worker Herman Beernts van Bijlert, and became a student of Abraham Bloemaert.[1] He moved to Amsterdam, where he married in 1625.[1] He travelled in France and Italy on a Grand Tour. In Rome in 1621 he became a founding member of the painters' circle known as the Bentvueghels with the nickname "Aeneas" along with Cornelis van Poelenburch and Willem Molijn.[1] In 1625 he was back in Utrecht, where after he married, he became a member of the schutterij and in 1630 became a member of the Utrecht Guild of St. Luke and the Reformed church.[1] During the years 1632-1637 he was active as deacon of the guild, and in 1634 he was appointed regent of the Sint-Jobsgasthuis. In 1639 he helped form a painter's school, the "Schilders-College", where he served as regent. He died in Utrecht.
