Bartolomeo bettera biography of christopher

STILL LIFE WITH MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

SN 658, oil on canvas
From "The Pages".

ARTIST:
Bartolomeo Bettera was born in Bergamo in 1639.

Altho’ little is known of his early life, it is believed he had a son, Bonoventura, in 1663. Bettera was a pupil and then producer in the workshop of the priest-painter Evaristo Baschenis, who was born in Bergamo in 1617 and died there in 1677.

Bettera was faithful to the examples of his master, who painted in the tradition of Caravaggio, and art historians continue to recognize these still-life artists as “Baschenis, Bettera, and Company.” After Baschenis’ death, Bettera moved to Milan, where he continued to work until his own death sometime after 1687.

Bettera’s works are often signed with “BB” divided by a small cross.