Like many Northern artists of his time, Gerard Seghers traveled to Italy for part of his artistic education. While in Rome, he absorbed the style of famed artist Caravaggio, known for his use of dramatic lighting. Seghers is remembered for his large-scale paintings of genre scenes, allegories, and religious subject matter.
Gerard Seghers (17 March 1591 – 18 March 1651) was a Flemish painter, art collector, and art dealer. After a period of study and residence in Italy, he returned to Flanders where he became one of the leading representatives of the Flemish Caravaggisti movement. In his later career he abandoned the Caravaggist style and genre motifs to become an important painter of large altarpieces for local churches.