Toorenvliet was born in
Leiden, to
Abraham Toorenvliet (1620–1692), a glass painter and drawing instructor. The younger Toorenvliet first studied art with
Frans van Mieris the Elder and
Matthijs Naiveu, who were also studying with his father, a respected drawing teacher. Later, like his fellow students, he studied with
Gerrit Dou, his father's brother-in-law, until 1659, when he started on his
Grand Tour. Torenvliet was active in a number of different cities throughout his career, mainly in Italy and the Netherlands. He was in
Vienna in 1663, and in
Rome for a portrait commission in 1669. His companion on this trip was
Nicolaas Roosendael, a painter from
Enkhuizen. From 1670 to 1673 they lived in
Venice, making another trip to Rome in 1671, where Torenvliet became a member of the
Bentvueghels with the
bent name of
Jazon. He went to Vienna again in 1673, staying until 1674, and mainly painted figures on
copper. He was in Leiden again in 1679, Amsterdam in 1680, and back in Leiden in 1686, where he remained. He joined the
Guild of Saint Luke in Leiden, and held a number of senior offices in it from 1695 to 1712, in addition to cofounding the
Leiden Drawing Academy in 1694 with
Willem van Mieris and
Carel de Moor. He died in
Oegstgeest in 1719. ==Legacy==