In the late 1520s he entered the workshop of Jan van Scorel, whose Italian-influenced style he adopted. His stay in Rome (1532-1536) furthered this direction, and his works express his appreciation for classical antiquity. After his return to the Netherlands, he settled in Haarlem, where he acquired a high reputation as a painter of altarpieces and portraits. His art made him wealthy and influential. He was also amongst the first artists to make drawings explicitly for commercial reproduction by engravers.