Born around 1585 in Haarlem. He had a brother, Jan (1583/1584–1631), who was also a painter; both of them are recorded in Rome in 1605. In 1608 we find Jacob in Amsterdam, then between 1632 and 1639 in Delft and in other Dutch towns. We know signed examples of Jacob’s work from between the years 1617 and 1648. The year of his death is not known. Jacob Pynas’ style is very similar to those of his brother Jan, his brother-in-law Jan Tengnagel, Pieter Lastman and other artists from the beginning of the 17th century, who were greatly influenced in Rome by the German painter Adam Elsheimer and who after their return to the Netherlands founded a local school of historical painting. There was once a belief that Rembrandt too had been a pupil of Jacob Pynas for a short time.