early life and training govaert flinck, a prominent dutch painter, was born on january 25, 1615, in kleve, the capital of the duchy of cleves. his father, a silk mercer, initially apprenticed him to his own trade, but govaert's passion for etching and drawing led to his reassignment to lambert jacobszoon, a mennonite painter, in leeuwarden. artistic development and influences govaert flinck's artistic style was heavily influenced by the dutch golden age, with rembrandt van rijn being one of his most significant mentors. flinck's early work, such as his 1636 portrait in the gallery of brunswic…