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Balthasar Beschey was an 18th-century Flemish artist whose work covered landscapes, portraits, and historical and religious subjects. He was born on November 20, 1708. His life is largely shrouded in mystery, however, he was primarily based in Antwerp and many of his accomplishments are tied to the city. Antwerp’s city records record his entrance in 1753 to the Guild of St. Luke’s, the artist’s guild in Antwerp, named in honor of St. Luke, the patron saint of the arts. In 1755, he was named one of the directors of the Antwerp Academy of Arts and became Dean of the St. Luke Guild in the same year. He served as a professor at the Academy up until his death. Balthasar Beschey began his career as a landscape painter but broadened into other subjects throughout his life. Near the end of his life, he almost exclusively painted religious subject matter. Balthasar Beschey also owned an art restoration workshop and art dealership. He died in 1776.