(b Haarlem, 1562; d Haarlem, 11 Nov. 1638). Dutch painter who ranks with Hendrik Goltzius and Karel van Mander as one of the leading representatives of Mannerism in the Netherlands. He is best known for his large biblical and historical pictures packed with athletic, life-size Italianate nudes in wrenched and sharply foreshortened positions. But he also did a few forceful portraits of individuals and groups that show he was an important forerunner of Frans Hals. Both facets of his work can best be seen in the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the city where he spent most of his life.