He was the son of a schoolmaster and at first became a carpenter, whence his Latinized name Fabritius (from Latin faber, “carpenter”). His early works, dating from the 1650s, are based on Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)'s style of the 1640s, with deepened use of colour and of light and shade. He was also influenced by the work of his more famous older brother Carel Fabritius (Fabritius, Carel). Variously during his career Fabritius worked in Amsterdam, Leiden, and London.