He is also called
Pier Dandini. He was the son (or nephew) and pupil of the painter
Vincenzo Dandini. Pietro's uncle,
Cesare Dandini, was a prominent painter in Florence. Vincenzo's sons,
Ottaviano and
Vincenzo Dandini the younger also became painters. Among his pupils as
Valerio Baldassarri of Pescia, Father
Alberico Carlini of Vellano,
Gaetano Santarelli Giovanna Fratellini, and
Giovanni Cinqui. In addition to having training within the family, he traveled to Bologna, Modena, Venice, and Rome to learn about art. As a painter, Dandini's styles are eclectic, as reflected in his travels, though he has the high-minded graciousness and delicacy characteristic of Florentine Baroque. Pietro was strongly patronized by members of the
Medici Family, including prince Ferdinand and the Grand Duke. He completed a number of ecclesiastical commissions in Florence, including frescoes in the vault for
San Jacopo Soprarno; in the chapel of San Bernardo in the church of
San Frediano; in the lunettes for
San Giovannino degli Scolopi; and in the dome of the main chapel of the church of
Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi depicting the ''Ascension of St Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi surrounded by Florentine Saints
(1701). He also painted an altarpiece depicting the Beheading of John the Baptist
for the church of San Giovannino dei Cavalieri; a St Francis'' in
Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome; an altarpiece in the Church of
Santa Caterina d'Alessandria in Pisa; an altarpiece of
God the Father for the
Santuario della Madonna del Giglio of
Prato; an
Adoration of the Magi for the Church of Santa Croce in
Vinci, Italy; and painting in the former convent of San Francesco de' Macci. Other works in situ include frescoes in the Capella Nuova of
Villa La Petraia; murals for Villa Bellavista near Pistoia; and in the Florentine
Palazzo Corsini. He painted a large canvas of the
Battle of Vienna in 1683 (now lost) for the auditor Filippo Lucci, which won the admiration of contemporary critics such as
Francesco Saverio Baldinucci, from whom we can derive the most biographical information about Pietro's life. The
Palazzo Montecitorio in Rome has a series of paintings of the
Four Seasons. He also painted some pastoral and rustic scenes. ==Gallery==