Uffizi acquire Ceruti from Robilant+Voena
November 10 2025
Picture: Robilant+Voena via Instagram
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Art dealers Robilant+Voena have announced that the Uffizi in Florence have acquired the following Portrait of a Moor by Giacomo Ceruti (1698–1767).
According to their Instagram post:
It is among the earliest known portraits of a Black African in Italian painting; Black figures had appeared in Italian art since the Renaissance, but almost always as generic ‘types’, in set roles such as magi or servants. Yet here, Ceruti – nicknamed ‘Il Pitochetto’, meaning ‘Little Beggar’ – paints the figure with an empathy and realism akin to his treatment of other protagonists from the margins of society, for which he is best known.
This is a significant addition to the Uffizi’s 18th-century collections, demonstrating the museum’s commitment to its mission of creating a comprehensive history of Italian painting.
