Inaugurated in September at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, and curated by Francesco Ceretti, Michele Nicolaci and Filippo Piazza, the exhibition Stupore, Realtà, Enigma. Pietro Bellotti e la Pittura del Seicento a Venezia explores the artistic trajectory of Pietro Bellotti, shedding light on his refined vision of everyday life and ability to blend realism, psychological depth, and poetic mystery within the vibrant context of Baroque Venice.

A masterpiece on display is Elderly Peasant Woman with a Boy, a long-thought-lost painting acquired in 2024 by Luciano Sorlini for the MarteS – Museo d’Arte Sorlini. The work, depicting an elderly woman and a young boy in a humble domestic setting, boasts a prestigious provenance: in the nineteenth century, it belonged to the Casa Torres collection in Madrid, a presence confirmed by a black-and-white photograph preserved in the collection’s photographic inventory, where it was attributed to Diego Velázquez before being firmly re-established as an autograph masterpiece by Bellotti. The same photograph that, in the 1940s, sparked the search for the lost painting is now displayed alongside the work itself — a poignant reminder of its long and fascinating rediscovery.

Having passed through our hands in the past, we are delighted to finally see this painting — an exceptional addition to Pietro Bellotti’s oeuvre — find its home in an important collection and be included in this remarkable exhibition, which brings renewed recognition and radiance to the artist.