Lastman, Pieter (1583 Amsterdam - 1633 Amsterdam), Rembrandt was briefly a pupil of Lastman around 1622/23 and copied his master's work in his early career, and yet Lastman has almost been forgotten. The son of a messenger, Lastman was apprenticed to Gerrit Sweelinck, a pupil of Cornelis van Haarlem, which explains the influence of the old Haarlem school on his work. However, more important was his visit to Italy in about 1603-1607 which took him to Venice and Rome. His meeting with Caravaggio and the Carraccis, and most of all his close contact with Elsheimer, whose landscape composition and figure painting impressed him deeply, gave him a new direction.

On his return to Amsterdam he dedicated himself to history painting centering on biblical scenes and ancient mythology. He tells his stories in a manner that is both realistic and original. His landscapes of Antiquity are often arranged with groups of figures in splendid dress and rich colours ("Odysseus and Nausicaa", various versions are at Brunswik, Augsburg, Munich.)