Semiramis

The painting is believed to be an early artwork by Francesco Montelatici, known as Cecco Bravo, which was executed in 1630. The painting tells the story of the life of Semiramis, the legendary Assyrian queen. In response to a warning of a revolt in Babylon, she will immediately descend into the crowd in order to appease the souls of those present.
In this horizontal canvas, we find the following two main figures: An imposing and luminous Semiramis wears soft orange and blue garments and is adorned with pearls on her ears and neck; on the right, a knight in armour, Arsace, emerges from the shadows, signalling something is behind her by waving his index. The queen raises her hands and opens her mouth alarmed. Behind the knight, at the end of the scene, one can glimpse the city in flames. At the bottom, two elegant astonished handmaids increase the dramatic effect of the painting, given by the gestures of the characters. 
The dramatic effect, vivid colour and details of the clothing demonstrate the young painter’s ability to define the scene effectively, with volumes highlighted by quick colour drafts and well-thought-out light strokes. Even though the canvas depicts a wide range of scenes, it refers to his teacher Giovanni Bilivert and to Matteo Rosselli's last activity, two great exponents of Florentine art of the first half of the seventeenth century. In that period the frequent representation of noble heroines of antiquity, rich in moral and civic virtues, was often a homage to the reigning grand duchess, Maria Magdalena of Austria, the widow of Cosimo II de' Medici.
The canvas came into the municipal collections thanks to an important donation by the Prato artist and restorer Leonetto Tintori in 1993.