Bernardino Campi

Bernardino Campi was born in Cremona in northern Italy, the son of a goldsmith. He began training with his father, but then moved on to train as an artist in Cremona and then Mantua. In 1541 he returned home and was commissioned to paint altarpieces and frescoes for various churches.

Campi then moved to Milan and during the 1550s became increasingly popular for his attention to detail. As well as public works, he painted several private commissions for the Milanese nobility (although none of these survive).

In the 1560s, he came back to Cremona and continued to paint both public works in Cremona's cathedral and churches, and to decorate the palaces of some of the city's wealthiest inhabitants. The National Gallery's 'Portrait of a Musician' dates from this period, although it is unknown who commissioned the work.