VERWER, Abraham de

Dutch painter. His birthplace is not known but he is supposed to have been born in Haarlem. He is first recorded in Haarlem in 1607 - not as a painter but as a cabinet-maker - when his wife drew up a last will. His earliest recording as a painter can be found in an Amsterdam inventory of 1614. Possibly in 1614 but probably by 1617 he had moved to Amsterdam. His teacher is unknown.

There is evidence for sojourns in Paris and Northern France in 1637-1639, but not beyond. Amsterdam remained his home-base and his burial is registered there.

Abraham de Verwer was a marine painter, but he also painted landscapes and townscapes. He was the father of the painter Justus de Verwer and the poetess Catharina Verwer.