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Willem van Aelst (1626-1683) was the son of a notary in Delft. He learned to paint from his uncle, the still-life painter Evert van Aelst, and joined the local St Luke's guild in 1643. Between 1645 and 1649 he lived in France. From there he moved to Italy. In 1653-1654 he received a direct stipend from the court and a gold medal by the grand duke of Tuscany for his services. Various still lifes with flowers and game from this period can be seen at Florence's Palazzo Pitti. In 1656 Van Aelst returned to the Netherlands, where he settled in Amsterdam. There he consistently signed his work 'Gullielmo', the Italian version of his name. Van Aelst taught Rachel Ruysch and several other masters.