Tassi may have worked for a time in
Livorno, as well as in
Florence. Among his followers or pupils in Livorno is thought to be
Pietro Ciafferi. During his sojourn in Florence it is believed that he was made a
galley slave in the Grand Duke's convict galleys for some unspecified crime. However, he was allowed to move about freely on the ship instead of pulling on an
oar. More importantly, he was able to paint and draw on the galley, and was thus provided with ample material from which to execute his seascapes and images of ports, ships, and fishing scenes. Regarding his artistic formation, Tassi is said to have been a pupil of
Paul Bril, from whom he derived some of his images of the sea. He later worked in Rome with
Orazio Gentileschi, who painted figures, after being commissioned by
Pope Paul V. During his stay, he raped Orazio's daughter, the painter
Artemisia Gentileschi. Considered a master of perspective and a good painter of illusionistic architectural decoration, Tassi painted in several Roman palaces including the Quirinale (1611–12), the Rospigliosi and the Doria Pamphili (1637). In Rome, Tassi also served as the master of French painter
Claude Lorrain (from April 1625), as well as of
Viviano Codazzi and
Costanzo de Peris. Tassi hired Lorrain to grind his colors and to do all of the household work. Though better known as a painter of frescoes, Tassi also painted some canvases, which include
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba before Solomon (c. 1610) and
Entry of Taddeo Barberini from the Porta del Popolo (1632). His depictions of night scenes had a certain influence on the Dutch
Leonaert Bramer. ==Rape conviction==