Little is known about the early life and training of Abraham de Vries. It is now generally believed that the artist was born in
The Hague since when he joined the
Guild of Saint Luke of The Hague in 1644 he paid the fees of a native son of the city. In the past he was mistakenly believed to have been a native of
Rotterdam. He may have travelled to France as early as 1613 if the date on a landscape drawing made in
Lyon that year is correct. De Vries also spent time in
Toulouse,
Montpellier (1625),
Bordeaux (1626) and Paris (1627–1628). During his stay in France he became acquainted with the prominent French scientist and humanist
Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc who was a close friend of
Rubens. De Vries met Rubens in person in 1629 during a stay in Paris. After his return north, he later made several trips to Paris and Antwerp. He was recorded in Antwerp in 1628 and again in 1634 when he became a member of the local
Guild of Saint Luke in July 1634. The
Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria who was the
Governor of the Spanish Netherlands saw a portrait by de Vries during his visit to Antwerp on 20 April 1635. This led to an invitation to work in the Brussels court city where his work was deemed superior to that of
Anthony van Dyck. He was in Brussels in 1636 as testified by his inscription on a portrait which states it was made in Brussels. In 1639-1640 there are records of de Vries’ presence in Rotterdam. He was recorded in The Hague in 1643 and he became a member of the
Guild of Saint Luke of The Hague in 1644. He made his will in The Hague in 1648. Various sources indicate that de Vries died in either 1649 or 1650 in
The Hague. ==Work==