Pieter Holsteyn I

Pieter the Elder Holsteyn (* 1580 in Haarlem, † July 1662 ) was a Dutch painter, draftsman and printmaker. He is the father of Pieter the Younger Holsteyn and Cornelis Holsteyn.

Pieter the Elder worked in Haarlem, where he was a member since 1634 and in the years 1640 and 1642, respectively chairman of the Guild of St. Luke. He worked as a glass painter. But he was known primarily for small-scale animal paintings. The attribution of the recent work is controversial because his son Pieter the Younger started in the same workshop in Haarlem and the same signature used. Pieter the Elder died in 1662 and was buried on 23 July of the year in the Haarlem Janskerk.

The animal studies Holsteyns describe the animals accurately and meet academic standards. They are represented in many collections. During his lifetime Holsteyns the Amsterdam lawyer Laurens van der Herm (1621-1678) had a collection of 665 drawings.