Carlo Dolci

Son of a tailor, Dolci was the most important Florentine painter of the 17th century. He entered the studio of Jacopo Vignali in about 1625, and his prodigious output secured him a high reputation from an early age. By the 1640s demand for his work had grown to such an extent that he often repeated compositions. There are several versions of the Gallery's 'Adoration of the Kings' for instance. Although most of his work is of religious subjects, he also painted portraits, including some sitters from England, where his reputation was high.

Dolci was a meticulous and also a slow worker. His highly refined style differs greatly from that of other contemporary Italian painters, and may show the influence of the Dutch pictures to which he would have had access in the Medici collections.