Sassoferrato was nicknamed after his birthplace, a small town in central Italy. His art is characterised by a brilliant palette of saturated, translucent colours, which he employed in compositions that were inspired by the great Italian masters of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, or by the works of some of his famous contemporary classical artists. During his long career, the artist painted numerous versions of this subject, often repeating the most successful or adding small variations. Although his paintings were once seen as excessively sentimental, today they are appreciated for their polished beauty and purity of modelling.
Sassoferrato was nicknamed after his birthplace, a small town in central Italy. His art is characterised by a brilliant palette of saturated, translucent colours, which he employed in compositions that were inspired by the great Italian masters of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, or by the works of some of his famous contemporary classical artists. During his long career, the artist painted numerous versions of this subject, often repeating the most successful or adding small variations. Although his paintings were once seen as excessively sentimental, today they are appreciated for their polished beauty and purity of modelling.