early life and training thomas willeboirts bosschaert, a luminary of the dutch golden age, emerged from bergen op zoom in 1613—the son of a catholic family who had relocated to this region during the sixteenth century. his formative years were marked by an immersion in artistic pursuits, beginning with an apprenticeship under gerard seghers in antwerp at the tender age of twelve. this extended period within seghers’ studio proved inval…