J.A. Backer Head of a Bald Old Man in Profile

Although Jacob de Backer (1555–1591) left us a substantial number of paintings and drawings, very little is known of his brief life and career. De Backer joined the workshop of Antonio van Palermo, who reportedly worked his pupil so hard that the strain eventually lead to his premature demise at the age of thirty. Despite this short lived period of activity, De Backer must have produced many versions and copies of his Last Judgment.