Giovanni Battista Naldini (1535–1591) was an Italian

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

in a late- Mannerist style, active in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and Rome.

Biography

His first apprenticeship (1549–1557) was in the studio of Jacopo Pontormo. He went from

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

for a number of months following 1560, and was recruited to work for Giorgio Vasari in 1562. He painted two crowded, mannerist canvases for the Studiolo of Francesco I in the

Palazzo Vecchio The Palazzo Vecchio ( "Old Palace") is the City hall, town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria, which holds a copy of Michelangelo's ''David (Michelangelo), David'' statue, and the gallery of statues in the adjacent ...

: the ''Allegory of Dreams'' and the ''Gathering of Ambergris''. He supplied altarpieces to

Santa Maria Novella Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. The chu ...

and Santa Croce. He painted an altarpiece of ''Calling of Saint Matthew'' for the Salviati Chapel in San Marco, where he worked alongside

Francesco Morandini Francesco Morandini (c. 1544–1597) was an Italian painter active in Florence, working in a Mannerist style. He was also called il Poppi after his native town. He was a pupil of Vincenzo Borghini, and later he was Giorgio Vasari's assistant for ...

. Ultimately, he is described by Freedberg as displaying work distantly derivative from the style of

Andrea del Sarto Andrea del Sarto (, , ; 16 July 1486 – 29 September 1530) was an Italian painter from Florence, whose career flourished during the High Renaissance and early Mannerism. He was known as an outstanding fresco decorator, painter of altar-pieces, ...

, as expressed by Naldini's two mentors and Sarto's two pupils: Pontormo and Vasari. Among his pupils were the Cavalieri

Francesco Curradi Francesco Curradi or Currado (15 November 1570 – 1661) was an Italian painter of the style described as Counter-''Maniera'' or Counter-Mannerism, born and active in Florence. Biography Curradi was the son of a jeweller, Taddeo. He trained und ...

Cosimo Gamberucci Cosimo Gamberucci (8 January 1562 – 24 December 1621) was a Florentine painter and a scholar of Battista Naldini. He did not attain to great celebrity in the art, although some of his works in the churches at Florence, particularly his pictur ...

. and

Cosimo Duti Cosimo Duti (active 1588 - died 1630) was an Italian painter active in his native Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383, ...

. Naldini painted the cycle of frescoes concerning St John the Baptist in Rome, in the chapel of the saint in the church of

Trinità dei Monti The church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti, often called merely the Trinità dei Monti ( French: ''La Trinité-des-Monts''), is a Roman Catholic late Renaissance titular church in Rome, central Italy. It is best known for its position above ...

in Rome in 1580. The chapel, which was added to the original church during works for the new facade, was built in 1570 by the architect Giovanni Antonio Dosio. In 1573 the Florentine banker Giovanni Battista Altoviti acquired the patronage and dedicated the chapel to St. John the Baptist, the Patron Saint of his city. In about 1580 Giovanni Battista Naldini created the frescoes that are still well-preserved today. He did a side-altar at

San Giovanni Battista Decollato San Giovanni Decollato (''the Beheaded John the Baptist'') is a Roman Catholic church in Rome, sited on ''via di San Giovanni Decollato'' in the Ripa rione, a narrow road named after the church. Its construction took most of the 16th century. I ...

, Rome, the showcase there for the Florentine high Maniera style.

References

* 1535 births 1591 deaths 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian Mannerist painters Painters from Florence {{Italy-painter-16thC-stub