Santi di Tito was the first painter to carry out the principles of the Counter-Reformation. His clear, humble, and dignified images represent what the Roman church was seeking in its search for a return to a sober truth – in both theology and art – that could reflect basic Christian ideals during the late sixteenth century. His style, based on a rigorous observation of reality and studious draughtsmanship, was inspired by the early Cinquecento paintings of Andrea del Sarto and Fra Bartolommeo, and his personal piety was ideally suited to religious art.
He was trained in the workshop of Bronzino, alongside Alessandro Allori and Giovanbattista Naldini. Like his compatriots, he went to Rome (1558) to study and there collaborated in numerous decorative projects, returning to Florence in 1564 to assist in the ephemeral decorations for Michelangelo's funeral ceremonies and the Medici marriage of 1565. In 1571 he was invited to paint in the Studiolo of Francesco I de’Medici in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. During the 1570s Santi developed a personal style that sought to revise Florentine Mannerism by an emphasis on greater naturalism, more explicit narrative, and direct, clearly understandable religious sentiment. He painted important altarpieces in Tuscany, including some for major Florentine churches such as Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella.