Lot Essay
The son of an organist, who intended for him a career in music, Helmbrecker turned instead to art, becoming a pupil of Pieter de Grebber in Haarlem. In 1652, the year he became a master in the Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke, he travelled to Italy with Cornelis Bega. There he found important patrons, including Senator Loredan in Venice and Cardinal Medici in Rome and his works were represented in many of the great Italian collections of his day.