Early Life, Family and Training In the bustling streets of Antwerp, Jacob Jordaens entered a world of commerce and industry. Born in 1593, he was the first of eleven children born to Jacob Jordaens, a man who had found success as a linen merchant, and his wife, Barbara van Wolschaten. This prosperous upbringing provided the young boy with a stable foundation, though his path would eventually lead away from the trade of textiles and to…