Vittore Ghislandi was the son of painter Domenico Ghislandi. After leaving his native Bergamo for Venice in 1675, Ghislandi became a brother in a monastery. His nickname, Fra Galgario, came from the eponymous saint of the monastery at which Ghislandi lived. Despite this, his religious aspirations were scrutinised, many believing he was instead aiming to source funding for his painting studies. Ghislandi, during these studies, particularly admired the work of Titian and Veronese. However, he generally had little exposure to great artists and other styles of painting, which resulted in his own works appearing fresh and spontaneous, not constrained by adherence to a particular master or school.
When he returned to Bergamo permanently in 1702, Ghislandi developed his particular style that blends genre painting with portraiture, eventually becoming a member of the Accademia Clementina of Bologna. His paintings were, at the time, called capricciose teste or capricious heads, because of the way he would add allegorical and decorative elements to subjects of the lower classes. He was also a skilled portraitist in the more traditional sense, with his works offering a psychological depiction of the subject, conveying the inner emotions and character of the sitter.
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