Giovanni Battista PITTONI (Venice, 1687 - 1767) Study of the head of a bearded man, probably Saint Peter Oval oil on canvas Study of a man's head, probably Saint Peter, oil on canvas, by G. B. Pittoni 29.52 x 24.01 in. 75 x 61 cm Provenance: Private collection, Spain, since the 19th century, as Tiepolo ; Anonymous sale; London, Christie's, 8 December 2009, no. 30 (sold for £79,250); Acquired at this sale by the current owner Bibliography: Annalisa Scarpa Sonino and Nicola Spinosa, Settecento veneziano: Dal barocco al neoclassicismo, Madrid, 2009, p. 27 When this impressive figure was rediscovered in 2009, Professor George Knox confirmed the painting's authenticity and suggested that it could be a Saint Peter, linking it to the various figures of the saint depicted by the painter in his various compositions. Pittoni, a generation after Sebastiano Ricci and ten years older than his colleague Giambattista Tiepolo, with whom he founded the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice, directed his career towards Eastern Europe and the Empire, failing to reach Paris and London as Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini and Sebastiano Ricci had done before him. A temporary import VAT at the reduced rate of 5.5% applies to the hammer price and sales commission. Lot in temporary importation 5,5% VAT is calculated on the hammer price and buyer's premium. Giovanni Battista PITTONI (Venice, 1687 - 1767) 75 x 61 cm