Portrait of Giuseppe Alberto de Ambiveri, Vicar of the Mines of Bergamo

From a family of artists in Bergamo (northern Italy), Giuseppe Ghislandi was an accomplished portraitist, combinined naturalistic detail with baroque flourish. In 1703 the painter entered the Bergamo monastery of the Galgario, from where he took his name. The sitter's identity is noted in the letter he points to, which includes his name and title of Vicar of the mines of Bergamo. The inscription in the upper left corner of the canvas, outside the painted oval further identifies him as the son of a nobleman, Francesco Ferrante Ambiverim, and, along with his full name noted again includes Co:/I.V.D.Collg.s. This might refer to the body of worthies to whom the portrayed (and the portrait) likely belonged.