Leyster was born in Haarlem, the seventh child of local brewer Jan Willemsz Leyster.
While the details of her education are unknown, contemporary Haarlem poet Samuel Ampzing depicted her in his work Beschrijvinge ende lof der stadt Haerlem (1628).
Some academics speculate that Leyster pursued a career in painting to support her family after her father’s bankruptcy. She might have learned to paint from Frans Pietersz de Grebber, who maintained a reputable workshop in Haarlem in the 1620s.
During this period, her family moved to the Utrecht region, and it’s conceivable that she came into contact with some Utrecht Caravaggisti.
Judith Leyster children: Meet Helena, Eva, Constantijn, and others
In 1636, Leyster married Jan Miense Molenaer, a more active artist than she was who specialized in similar topics. In the hope of better economic prospects, the couple moved to Amsterdam, where Molenaer already had clients. They resided there for eleven years before returning to Heemstede in the Haarlem district.
They shared a studio flat in a little house in Groenendaal Park at the time. Only two of Leyster and Molenaer’s five children, Helena and Constantijn, had made it to adulthood. Eva and the other two whose names are unknown passed away at a very young age. Leyster’s children lived a very private life; they were not popular as their mother hence their information is not available to the public.
