The Life of Pieter Neefs the Elder Pieter Neefs the Elder was a Flemish painter active in Antwerp who specialized in the architectural interiors of churches. He became a free master of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1610. His father, Aart Neefs, was a cloth merchant and innkeeper. Pieter married Maria Louterbeens on 30 April 1612, and together they had five children, including two sons, Lodewijk and Pieter, who also became painters. Neefs' professional success allowed him to collaborate with leading Antwerp painters, who were commissioned to paint the staffage in his works. His only pupil w…