He was born in
Mechelen in a family of artists. His sister Cornelia married the sculptor
Hendrik Faydherbe and their son
Lucas Faydherbe became a leading Flemish Baroque sculptor. Lucas Franchoys the Elder became a master in the Mechelen
Guild of St. Luke in 1599. Between 1613 and 1640 he was deacon of the guild six times. He married Catharina du Pont on 13 January 1605. The couple had three daughters and two sons. He taught both of his sons,
Lucas Franchoys the Younger and
Peter Franchoys, the art of painting. In the years 1602–1604 he was court painter in Paris and Madrid. In 1610 he painted a Pietà for the
Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent. He died in Mechelen. ==Work==