Jacob Jordaens, along with Peter Paul Rubens and Anthonis van Dyck, is part of the great triumvirate of Flemish baroque painters.
Jacob Jordaens was born in Antwerp in 1593. He served an apprenticeship with Adam van Noort, of which there is proof for 1607. In 1615 the Antwerp gild of St. Luke accepted Jacob Jordaens as master. This professional success was accompanied by private success: In 1616 Jacob Jordaens married no lesser than his former teacher's daughter.
The star of Jacob Jordaens soon began to rise, and in 1621 the gild of St. Luke appointed him dean. Jacob Jordaens was active for the church and high-ranked mundane commissioners: In 1637/38 for instance, he painted a monumental painting for the hunting castle "Torre de la Parada" near Madrid after sketches by Rubens.
It was especially after Peter Paul Rubens and Anthonis van Dyck died in 1640 and 1641 respectively that Jacob Jordaens became first choice among the Antwerp masters, which was the beginning of two very successful decades for Jacob Jordaens. In 1651 he painted the "Triumph of Frederik Hendrik" for the Oranjezaal of the Huis ten Bosch in The Hague.
Jakob Jordaens was also active as painter of peasant genre scenes, however, he did not execute them in modest small formats, as it was common in the 17th century, but brought on the large canvas with a strong stroke of the brush in a joyous coloring.
However, Jacob Jordaens was not only active in painting, he also made engravings and drawings for tapestries. The art of staging was also among his fields of expertise: As early as in 1634 did the magistrate of Antwerp commission Jacob Jordaens to put on the festive procession of Cardinal Infante Fernando under supervision of his friend Peter Paul Rubens, making it a magnificent event.
Jacob Jordaens, who, unlike most great artists of his epoch, had never been in Italy, died in his native town Antwerp in 1678.