 Before he went to Bruges, he may have studied his craft with Utrecht-based painters such as Jan van Scorel or the Leiden masters.Recent technical research suggests Leiden, more so than Utrecht.Lucas van Leyden and Cornelis Engelbrechtsz passed away when Pourbus was still a child, but he may have come into contact with Engelbrechtsz's three sons, Cornelis, Lucas, and Pieter Cornelisz Kunst, who followed in their father's footsteps and became painters in their own right .