Claim: In 1628, Willem van Haecht destroyed the art collection owned by Cornelis van der Geest, a spice merchant from Antwerp, who used his wealth to support the Antwerp artists and to grow his art collection.
Evidence: Cornelis van der Geest (1575 – 10 March 1638) was a spice merchant from Antwerp, who used his wealth to support the Antwerp artists and to establish his art collection. Willem van Haecht (1593 – 12 July 1637) was a Flemish painter best known for his pictures of art galleries and collections.