Venice, Rome, Naples, London, Paris, Lisbon: even just listing the cities in which Pellegrini worked gives us a good idea of his truly Europe an scope. This book is the first monograph entirely devoted to the Veneto painter. Compared to what was previously known about him, it includes a considerable number of fresh additions to his catalogue, historical information and descriptions of relations involving artists, art dealers and more or less illustrious figures in often adventurous historical situations – Pellegrini was even deported to the Azores – in a period which witnessed upheavals that changed the political set-up in Europe as in few other ages. As a major artist in the field of portraiture, Pellegrini travelled widely in Europe: in Italy with its ancient regime states and to Britain, Portugal and France. This book also contains his unexpectedly important correspondence. On reading it, we are surprised to learn how many relations are woven into his biography, especially later on in his life. After becoming well off enough to lay aside his brushes, he enjoyed the good life in several cities, such as London, Paris, Florence, Venice and Rome. To illustrate this, we only need mention the fact that the soprano Giuditta Pasta was one of his closest friends. He was also a friend of Antonio Canova. In 1813 he wrote to the sculptor from London, “I wanted riches but they have made me melancholic. Now I am more cheerful, and one of these days I will set fire to everything and be quite happy again. I see that only paints and the palette really make me happy. O how happy I should be to meet again so many friends who will now be all wrinkles and I think I can see that they will laugh at my own good looks, which are half Portuguese,half English and a little French.”