Mattheus van Helmont was a Flemish painter specialized in genre scenes of interiors and village scenes. His style and subject matter were influenced by the work of David Teniers the Younger and Adriaen Brouwer. His preferred subjects were peasant feasts, wedding celebrations, drinkers and alchemists. He developed his own personal style towards the final phase of his career. He spent most of his active life in Antwerp but moved to Brussels later.

Mattheus van Helmont was born in Antwerp as the son of Mattheus van Helmont and Elisabeth Cremers. He was baptised in the Cathedral of Antwerp on 24 July 1623. Mattheus first joined the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke as the son of a master and in 1645 he became a full master in the Guild.

His paintings of Italianizing market scenes and fairs suggest that he possibly visited Italy but there is no documentary evidence to corroborate such trip. He joined the Brussels Guild of Saint Luke in 1674. On 17 August 1647 he married Margaratha Verstock. The couple had four sons, of whom two – Jan and Gaspard – trained with their father and became painters. Jan became a portrait painter. Gaspard entered the Antwerp Guild in 1679 as a portrait painter but did not leave any known work. The family lived in the Lange Nieuwstraat in Antwerp.

He had a large output but got into debt, supposedly due to his unruly character and frequent involvement in brawls. This caused him to leave Antwerp and settle in Brussels in 1674. He was forced to leave many paintings with his creditors in Antwerp.

He likely remained the remainder of his life in Brussels where he died some time between 1679 and 1699.