Brief Biography-Anthonis Mor van Dashorst was born in Utrecht, where he studied under Jan van Scorel. He spent time in Rome and Venice, studying masters such as Raphael, Titian and Michelangelo. Later, when back in the Netherlands, he studied the paintings of Holbein, though he never quite achieved the perfection of those masters. However, he did excel with some historical works, according to the Reverend M. Pilkington 1770. As a result, he came to the attention of Emperor Charles V in 1552, who dispatched him to Portugal and England to return portraits of nobility and suitors. He was rewarded handsomely in both countries before returning to Spain.
One day while painting in his studio, which the king frequented, the king entered and humorously tapped him on the shoulder. The artist responded by hitting the king with his maulstick, the courtiers exhibited astonishment, and Mor begged the king’s forgiveness, but the king let it go with a smile. After that, however, on strategic guidance, Mor departed Spain with great haste, never to re-enter that kingdom.
He found considerable success in Utrecht, Brussels, and Antwerp, where he was a Master of the Guild. He was renowned for portraiture; one of his many famous portraits was of William I of Orange. He spent his last years in Antwerp. Alonso Sánchez Coello was one of his students in Spain, and he took over the role of court painter when Mor left.