The son of a German painter from Meissen and his Dutch wife, Eberhard Caspersen Keilhau was born at Elsinore in Denmark, presumably in 1624. He received his initial training in his native country but later, through his mother's contacts, he was able to secure a place in Rembrandt's studio so in 1642 he moved to Amsterdam where he remained for two years. By 1651 he had moved to Venice and three years later, by invitation of a member of the Savorgnan family, Eberhard - now known as Bernardo – moved to Bergamo. He then briefly sojourned in Milan before setting out for Rome where he settled for the rest of his life, despite intending to stay only a few months. This peripatetic existence led to the young artist absorbing the artistic influence of a wide range of painters, from Domenico Fetti (Rome 1589-1623 Venice) to Michel Sweerts (Brussels 1618- 1664 Goa).