Francesco Caldei Detto Francesco Mantovano Biography
Francesco Caldei, known as Francesco Mantovano, was an Italian painter born in Mantua in 1587-88. He is best known for his still life paintings of flowers, fruit, animals and musical instruments, as well as his collaborations on paintings of garlands and allegories. Caldei worked as an art appraiser and art dealer, starting in Rome and then moving to Venice, where he spent the rest of his career. Chaldei's floral works, with their Roman influences, were highly appreciated by the Venetian bourgeoisie and brought him commercial success. Caldei's work, although not signed, was reconstructed from his works in the Pinacoteca dell'Accademia del Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo. His style of flower painting is believed to have been influenced by the workshop of Tommaso Salini in Rome, which he frequented, and by his collaborations with Joseph Heintz the Younger and Giulio Carpioni. Chaldei died in Venice in 1674.
