Other notable paintings from the 1820s include a portrait of Lorenzo Bartolini (1825), a depiction of Venus, which was displayed at the "Exposition des produits de l'industrie française" of 1827, and The Entry of Charles VIII into Florence (1829), which was commissioned by Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany.

Two years later, on a commission from Prince Anatoly Demidov, he created a large canvas depicting the discovery of King Manfred's body after the Battle of Benevento.

During this period, he focused on commissioned portraits, including politicians such as Bettino Ricasoli, and writers such as Giuseppe Giusti.

In 1853, a portrait of the recently deceased Austrian general, Julius Jacob von Haynau, created some controversy, as he had been involved in violently suppressing some of the Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states.

Among his pupils at the Academy were Giovanni Fattori, Giuseppe Raggio, Enrico Pollastrini, Carlo Ademollo, Giuseppe Pierotti, Stefano Ussi, Silvestro Lega, and Adeodato Malatesta; as well as the Americans William Edward West and Edwin White.