Lot 1563 Dα

Following his initial training in Copenhagen, Bernard Keilhau travelled to Amsterdam to continue his education in 1642. There he spent two years training under Rembrandt and a further three years as an independent artist. Against the will of his father, who wanted him to return to Denmark, Keilhau travelled to Italy via several stations in Germany, including Cologne, Mainz and Frankfurt. As he soon found an important patron in Italy in the person of Senator Savorgnan, Keilhau settled in the city on the lagoon for a short time but later moved to Bergamo and then on to Ravenna to work. He mainly found his patrons among high-ranking church officials, and Keilhau's career developed quickly in Italy. He finally found a permanent place to settle upon his arrival in Rome in 1656. Up until this time he had mainly painted portraits, for example of Queen Christina of Sweden, who he painted in Ferrara during the journey to Rome, as well as religious subjects. However, he was to become most famous in Rome for his depictions of genre scenes in the style of the Bamboccianti. This type of painting, depicting scenes from daily life, was first developed by Dutch painters active in Rome and became highly popular during the mid-17th century among the Roman aristocracy and throughout Italy in general.