National Gallery Scientific Documentation

For most of the nineteenth century this picture was considered an important work by Giovanni Bellini, and was acquired as such by the National Gallery in 1869. Yet despite bearing the artist's signature, the painting has often been attributed to his workshop, or even to his brother Gentile. The main reason for this diminished status was probably its relatively poor condition and the fact that the picture was altered at a later date from a portrait into an image of Saint Peter Martyr through the addition of his attributes. For further information see the description provide on the National Gallery Website