Career

According to the RKD he was a registered pupil of Arnold Houbraken, and like him, became a printmaker as well as a painter. He lived in The Hague from 1705–1715 and is known for Italianate landscapes, portraits, and historical allegories. He was probably the son or grandson of the Dordrecht writer Mathias Balen, who wrote Beschryvinge der stad Dordrecht in 1677.