Cecco Bravo

In 1633, he decorated the church of Santissima Annunziata in Pistoia with six lunettes depicting the Life of the Blessed Bonaventura Bonaccorsi, continuing a series begun by Bernardino Poccetti.

After his depiction of Fame on the ceiling of the library, he became disenchanted with the patron’s excessive instructions, and the panels of illustrious Florentines on the walls were completed by others, including Domenico Puligo and Matteo Rosselli (1636).

[citation needed] In 1659, Cecco was recommended by the Cardinal Leopoldo de' Medici for a position as a court painter to Anna, wife of the archduke of Ferdinand Karl of the Tyrol.

[citation needed] Bravo is one of the few Florentines to violate the crisp drawn edges of figures, and aim for a general bravura of execution, nearly becoming a pintore del tocco.

The art historian Anne Barsanti described Cecco's "characteristic compositional scheme" as one in which "the main figures (usually two), expressing themselves in anxious or excited gestures, are placed against a background full of incident but lacking real depth; flashes of light emphasize the dreamlike atmosphere".