Gimignani was born in
Pistoia, where his father, Alessio (1567–1651) was also a painter and former pupil of
Jacopo Ligozzi. Gimignani had been patronized by the prominent
Guido Rospigliosi, Cardinal Secretary of State, and descendant of the prominent
Rospigliosi family of Pistoia. By 1630 his father had arranged for him to travel to Rome, where he is said to have begun training under
Poussin, and by 1632 he had transferred to work under
Pietro da Cortona.
Luigi Lanzi describes that he learned design from the former and color from the latter. In Rome, his first known work is the fresco of the
Rest on the Flight to Egypt (1632), a lunette in the chapel of the
Palazzo Barberini. He competed with
Camassei and
Maratta for fresco commissions, including the fresco of the
Vision of the Cross by Constantine the Great in the ambulatory of the
baptistery of
San Giovanni in Laterano. He completed this work under the guidance of
Andrea Sacchi. In 1648, he assisted Cortona in the decoration of the
Palazzo Pamphili in Rome. He developed a classical style befitting the grand manner style developing in Rome. Among other works in Rome, he painted a
San Pio for the church of
San Silvestro al Quirinale, and a
Martyrdom canvas for the church of
Santa Maria a Campo Santo. In
Perugia, for the Benedictine church, he painted a
St. Benedict meeting Totila, King of the Goths. He joined the
Accademia di San Luca in 1650. He married the daughter of the painter
Alessandro Turchi of Verona. He spent his last years back in Tuscany. In Pistoia, are a number of paintings in the
Museo Clemente Rospigliosi, including the
Meeting of Venus and Adonis and ''The brothers show Joseph's bloody coat to Jacob''. The
Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Pistoia e Pescia was the owner of
Venus Awakened by Cupid,
Olindo e Sophronia,
Venus, Cupid and Time,
Venere e amore,
Olindo e Sofronia and
La verità che scopre il tempo. His son
Ludovico Gimignani is also known for his fresco work in
Rome. == References ==