A Flemish landscape painter, he belonged to a family of five artists: His father David Rijckaert I, a painter and art dealer, was his first teacher, and he later became a pupil of the landscape painter Tobias Verhaecht. Between 1605 and 1610, like Jan Brueghel I and II, he completed his training with a stay in Italy, where he was influenced by Paul Bril, whom he met in Rome. These years were decisive for the development of his concept of landscape, and he made a large number of drawings of the most beautiful views of the surroundings of Rome. He also learned to lighten his palette, which brought freshness and translucence to his paintings. On his return in 1611, he became master of the Antwerp painters' guild. In 1619 he also became a member of the chamber of rhetoric "De Violieren". He died in 1631 in full maturity at the age of 44.