Early Life, Family and Artistic Training Pieter de Hooch was born on December 20, 1629, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He was the eldest of five children born to Hendrick Hendricksz de Hooch, a master bricklayer, and Annetge Pieters, a midwife. This upbringing in a family of skilled artisans likely provided an early understanding of structure and the meticulous nature of craft. While the specific details of his childhood remain somewhat e…