Francesco Salviati

Florence 1510 - Rome 1563

The true name of Francesco Salviati was Francesco de'Rossi. He is best known by his nickname `Cecchino'. His added name was taken from his patron, Cardinal Salviati. Francesco Salviati began his artistic career in Florence as an apprentice in the atelier of Andrea del Sarto. After he became a Master, Salviati moved to Rome, where he achieved a place as one of the City's leading, second generation Mannerists. Salviati's frescos, with their contorted compositions, saturated colours and abundant ornamentation, can be found in the Church of Santa Maria della Pace in Rome, among many other places. In the middle of the 16th century, Salviati began to travel about and worked in Venice, Florence, and France. Salviati is also spoken of as a productive painter of portraits, but at present we know of very few portraits that can be reliably attributed to him.