Pietro della Vecchia (Venice 1602/3-1678)

Pietro della Vecchia was the leading painter in Venice in the first half of the seventeenth century, as well as a founding member of the Collegio dei Pittori, the precursor to the Venetian academy created in 1752. His first documented work dates to the late 1620s, and by the 1630s Vecchia had become the preeminent religious painter in the city, as well as a respected connoisseur, agent and restorer. His art blends the monumentality achieved by Titian and Tintoretto, with the dramatic chiaroscuro of the Caravaggisti – indeed, Vecchia himself was married to the daughter of Nicolas Régnier. His unique style is unmistakable in this hitherto unpublished picture, where the dramatic effects of light and shadow, along with the muted palette, display Vecchia's artistic virtuosity, for which he was highly sought-after by the most sophisticated Venetian collectors of his day.