The path of protection and enhancement of Bergamo’s artistic heritage takes a new step with the conclusion of the restoration of the Portrait of Giovan Battista Caniana, Architect, a work by Fra Galgario (Vittore Ghislandi; Bergamo, 1655 - 1743) belonging to the collections of the San Martino Museum of Sacred Art in Alzano Lombardo (Bergamo). The painting, which has been on display at Palazzo Creberg in recent weeks along with the other interventions made during 2025, is now back in the Alzano museum building, where it will be on view again starting Nov. 18. It is one of the fourteen paintings restored in the current year by Fondazione Creberg, which are joined by the three altarpieces by Giambettino Cignaroli, already restored to safety and protagonists of the exhibition Excellent Painting. The rediscovered color of Giambettino Cignaroli, which can be visited until November 30, 2025.
With this intervention, the number of works recovered by Fondazione Creberg since 2007 rises to one hundred and thirty as part of the Grandi Restauri project, conceived by Angelo Piazzoli, now president of the Foundation, as a structured initiative to safeguard works belonging to churches in the diocese and museums in the area. The total of restored paintings reaches one hundred and sixty-nine units counting also the works that make up polyptychs and predellae, confirming the continuity of an activity that combines restoration, research, exhibition initiatives and dissemination.
The collaboration between the Creberg Foundation and the local Museums of Sacred Art is thus renewed in a path that over the years has made it possible to bring to light works often little known to the general public, but of great historical and artistic importance. The decision to intervene on the Portrait of Giovan Battista Caniana, an authentic pinnacle of Fra Galgario’s portraiture, is part of this strategy and strengthens the relationship with the San Martino Museum of Sacred Art, already the beneficiary in past years of restorations dedicated to the heritage preserved in the town of Alza.
Angelo Piazzoli recalled how, as early as the first half of 2025, the Foundation had committed itself to the recovery of the three altarpieces by Giambettino Cignaroli, works that were in a critical condition and whose restoration was essential to avert their definitive loss. The intervention also made possible the mounting of the exhibition currently underway in Alzano Lombardo, of which Fondazione Creberg is the main partner. Piazzoli said that on this occasion, too, the Foundation is pleased to support the museum with the restoration of a painting that had significant conservation issues.
The link between Creberg Foundation and the San Martino Museum of Sacred Art appears to have been strengthened by interventions in recent years. Indeed, in 2021 the institution had financed the restoration of Federico Ferrario’s Meeting of David with Bathsheba and Little Solomon, while in 2023 two paintings by Antonio Cifrondi, Tobias and the Angel and Transit of St. Joseph, were restored. The recovery of the Caniana Portrait confirms the desire to continue the preservation of works that help define the cultural identity of the area.
The painter who created the work, Vittore Ghislandi, known as Fra Galgario, was born in Bergamo in 1655 as Giuseppe Ghislandi. After an initial training with engraver Giacomo Cotta, who specialized in sacred subjects, he left his hometown for Venice at a young age, where he stayed in two separate periods and where he approached portraiture thanks to his contact with Sebastiano Bombelli, a Friulian portrait painter and heir to the Venetian Baroque tradition. In Venice he entered as a lay friar at the convent of San Francesco da Paola, taking the name Vittore. After his final return to Bergamo he was nicknamed Fra Galgario, after the convent where he had lived on his return from the lagoon.
The return to the land of Bergamo marked a departure from Bombelli’s manner while retaining elements of Venetian chromatic refinement, enriched by the use of lacquers of which Fra Galgario was the inventor. His encounter with the Lombard tradition, from the direct style of Carlo Ceresa to the luminous lesson of Moroni, perfected his vision of portraiture, characterized by a strong attention to the real model and a peculiar ability to capture individual characters, moods and details. Portraiture became the focus of his activity, supported by numerous commissions from the local aristocracy and bourgeoisie.
The Portrait of Giovan Battista Caniana is one of the most significant outcomes of his production. Giovan Battista Caniana, an artist born in Romano di Lombardia in 1671 to a family of carvers and inlayers, spent long stays in Alzano Lombardo, evidenced by documented collaborations with Andrea Fantoni. In 1691-1692 he worked on the cabinets of the second sacristy of the Basilica of Alzano, contributing to the inlays and reframing under the direction of the Fantoni workshop. He was also responsible for the design of the pulpit of the same basilica, while the realization of the sculptures and marble parts was entrusted to the Fantoni workshop. A useful element in dating the painting is Caniana’s involvement in the design of the church of the convent of Galgario in Bergamo between 1730 and 1740, a period that also coincides with the age of the subject portrayed, by then around 60 years old.
The oil painting, made on canvas and measuring 103 by 76 centimeters, presents Caniana in a half-length pose, surrounded by the tools of his trade. The sheets on which he is drawing, accompanied by a compass, represent the synthesis of his professional activity. The psychological rendering appears intense and balanced. The face, shaped by light that is attentive to shading, shows a measured expressiveness, emphasized by a slight smile and the presence of a recently shaved beard. The clothing, typical of the period, includes a white shirt open on the chest, a blue tunic with detachable sleeves and a purplish-red stole on the shoulders.
The restoration was entrusted to Fabiana Maurizio under the direction of Angelo Loda, an official of the Superintendency of Bergamo. The work appeared to have been altered by old retouches, yellowed paint and dulling that compromised the color reading. During the cleaning, significant information about the painting’s conservation history emerged. The removal of the retouches revealed fillings that indicated an earlier shrinkage of the work, achieved by folding the canvas onto a smaller frame, but without cutting it. Restoration carried out in the past by Pellicioli had allowed it to be recovered in its entirety. Among the discoveries was also the presence of a cartouche added probably in the 19th century, later abraded and covered with animal glue and pigment. The extensive repainting on the brown background, done to even out and cover the previous alterations, was entirely removed.
Maurizio pointed out that the removal of the yellowed repainting and varnish has restored more intense and brilliant colors, particularly the indigo of the jacket and the lacquer of the coverlet, pigments typical of Fra Galgario. The brown background has recovered depth, restoring balance to the compositional whole.
After the exhibition at Palazzo Creberg and guided tours in October, the painting now returns to the San Martino Museum of Sacred Art, where it will be available again from November 18 during opening hours. The return of the Caniana Portrait represents a new step in the relationship between the museum and the Creberg Foundation, confirming the shared commitment to safeguarding and enhancing the artistic heritage of the area.
 |
| Bergamo, restored the portrait of Fra Galgario kept in Alzano Lombardo |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.
