Netherlandish painter. He was the eldest son of the painter Pieter Aertsen. He was probably taught by his father. In 1574 Pietersz. was living in Haarlem where he married the daughter of a glass painter. In the early 1580s Pietersz. moved to Amsterdam where he built up a reputation. By the time he died, in 1603, he was a wealthy man. The earliest known works by Pietersz. date from 1568. At first he painted altarpieces and other large-scale works. But the Reformation put an end to this type of commission and Pietersz. began to devote his talents to portraiture. Various genre paintings by the artist are also known, such as 'Poor Parents, Rich Children', painted in 1599. //