(b Utrecht, April 1606; d Antwerp, 1683–4). Born as Johannes van Antwerpen, the painter called himself Johannes de Heem but has always been mentioned as Jan Davidsz. de Heem in the literature. His father, a musician, died in 1612. His mother, two sisters and stepfather moved to Leiden in 1625. The following year Jan married Aletta van Weede (d 1643), who bore him three children, including (2) Cornelis de Heem. During the early 1630s Jan moved to Antwerp, where he spent most of the rest of his life. He married Anna Ruckers in 1644, the year after his first wife died. Six children were born of this second marriage, including (3) Jan Jansz. de Heem. Jan the elder went to Utrecht quite often and lived there from 1667 until 1672, when he returned to Antwerp. He had a workshop in Utrecht with collaborators and pupils, the most famous being Abraham Mignon.

Part of the Heem, de family

• Heem, Jan Davidsz. de (1606-83/4)
  • Heem, de
  • Netherlands, the, §III, 4(v): Painting and graphic arts, c 1550–c 1680: Utrecht
  • collaboration
    • Veerendael, Nicolaes van
    • Vos, de (i): (2) Paul de Vos, §1: Life and work
  • patrons and collectors
    • Flower painting, §2(iii): 18th–20th centuries
    • Reimer, Georg Andreas
    • Scotland, §XIII: Collecting and dealing
  • pupils
    • Heem, de: (2) Cornelis de Heem
    • Heem, de: (3) Jan Jansz. de Heem
    • Oosterwijck, Maria van
  • works
    • Flower painting, §1: Symbolism
    • Flower painting, §2(ii): Late 17th century
    • Heem, de: (1) Jan Davidsz. de Heem, §2: Critical reception and posthumous reputation
    • Netherlands,the, §III, 4(iii): Painting and graphic arts, c 1550–c 1680: Leiden
    • Still-life, §2: 14th to 17th centuries: Renaissance and Baroque
    • Vanitas, §2: The Netherlands