Belvedere Exhibition Reveals Overpaintings by Lampi the Elder and Younger

From May 13 to October 11, 2026, Vienna’s Belvedere is set to feature an exhibition titled “Overpainted and Uncovered.” This show delves into how overpainting has altered the perceptions of works by Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder and his son, the Younger. Key pieces include Lampi the Elder's portrait of Caroline and Viktor von Tomatis, along with the Younger’s Sleeping Venus in Front of a Mirror with Cupid. In 2016, X-ray and infrared scans revealed that a bust in the Tomatis portrait hid an image of their mother, Catarina Filipazzi, with her children. The exhibition also recounts the Tomatis family's narrative through various portraits and documents. Moreover, in the Younger Lampi’s Venus, black paint had obscured Cupid, leading to 20th-century misinterpretations. This resulted in the painting being mistakenly associated with Emilie Victoria Kraus, Napoleon’s mistress, boosting its popularity even in Paraguay. For the first time since Cupid was revealed in 2024, the artwork will be shown under its original title, highlighting how the meaning of art can shift dramatically over time.