Graauw was born in
Hoorn. According to Houbraken, he first learned to paint from
Pieter de Grebber in Haarlem. He then went to work for
Jacob van Campen for eight years, until
John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen returned from his travels and asked both van Campen and de Grebber to paint the cupola of the
Huis ten Bosch. In 1648 he left for Rome where he copied many of the old masters and after three years he packed up his gear and returned North to Amsterdam, where he lived until the French invasion in 1672 (
rampjaar), whereupon he evacuated to Hoorn. He died in
Alkmaar. ==References==