Little is recorded about Govaerts's life. He is believed to have been born around 1701 possibly in Antwerp. He is first recorded at the Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp as a pupil of Alexander van Bredael in the guild year 1713/1714. His master Alexander van Bredael was a local painter known for his Italianate landscapes and genre scenes of fairs, cattle markets and villages.Alexander van Bredael (I) at the Netherlands Institute for Art History
