Tommaso Salini
Tommaso Salini (1575 – 13 September 1625), also known as Mao Salini, was an Italian painter of the early-Baroque period, active in Rome. He is best remembered for defending his friend, Giovanni Baglione, in his libel suit against Caravaggio and other painters in his circle. Baglioni describes his still life paintings.
Also recorded as Mao Salini · Tommaso Solini · Tommaso Salinas · Mao Solini
Tommaso Salini

Ritrati di Alcuni Celebri Pittori del Secolo XVII by Ottavio Lioni (1731) · Public domain
- Born
- 1575 · Rome.
- Died
- 1625 · Rome.
- Occupation
- painter
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Documentary summary
Tommaso Salini (1575 – 13 September 1625), also known as Mao Salini, was an Italian painter of the early-Baroque period, active in Rome. He is best remembered for defending his friend, Giovanni Baglione, in his libel suit against Caravaggio and other painters in his circle. Baglioni describes his still life paintings.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2421780 · wikipedia · Tommaso Salini
In this article
Identity
Identity
He joined the Accademia di San Luca in 1605. Salini is a frequently forgotten Baroque artist who fell under the spell of Caravaggio, despite having a tempestuous relationship with the great painter. Salini, known as "Mao", was a friend of Giovanni Baglione, the Italian art biographer, who included Salini in his Le vite de’ pittori. Art historians have often shied away from exploring Salini's career because the canvases that have carried his name seem stylistically dissimilar. The recent tendency has been to attribute these works to anonymous Pseudo-Salini painters. In order for Salini's oeuvre to be presented with accuracy, connoisseurs have had to inspect the original works that Baglione mentions as being by Salini's hand, as well as the pictures that have been successfully attributed to him.
Places of work recorded in the authority are Rome and Florence. Work by Tommaso Salini is recorded in the collections of Museo del Prado, Art Museum of Estonia, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Warrington Museum and Art Gallery and Nantes Museum of Arts.
Tommaso Salini is recorded as painter. Recognition and collections.

Drawing; Drawings
Ottavio Leoni / Tommaso Salini · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy

Drawing; Drawings
Ottavio Leoni / Tommaso Salini · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1575–1625
The full dated record · 3 entries
1575
Tommaso Salini born at Rome.
1620
Portrait of Tommaso Salini (1620) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
1625
Tommaso Salini died at Rome.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2421780: Tommaso SaliniWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Paintings
19,261 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Tommaso MartiniArtist
- Tommaso NardiniArtist
- Tommaso RealfonsoArtist
- Tommaso RediArtist
- Tommy McRaeArtist
- Toni EbelArtist
- Toni ElsterArtist
- Toni MauArtist
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