In Nuzzi's pictorial vocabulary -- based in part on the work of the Flemish painter Hercules Seghers (Faldi, 1964, pp. 66-67) -- the minute observation of natural phenomena does not always blend with the monumentality of the compositions and broad decorative sweep of floral motifs, as typified by the development of Baroque painting. However, in his finest pictures, the painter succeeds in overcoming this dichotomy through a greater freedom of brushwork, uniting a rich palette with a discerning use of light. This reflects the heritage of Caravaggesque naturalism, perhaps passed on through Mao Salini, whose relative and pupil Nuzzi may have been, according to Dizallier d'Argenville (1742; 1762 edition, vol. II, p. 260): his works thus fully justify his position as a renowned still life painter in Baroque Rome.
In his biography of Mario Nuzzi, who became known as Mario dei Fiori, Pascoli defined him as "the first artist in modern times who has outdone the others" in this field of painting. Born in Penne (near Pescara) in 1603, he began selling paintings through a "rivendugliolo" (small retailer), in Pascoli's words, and made so much money that he was able to buy himself a plot of land near the Strada delle Carrozze, where he built a house and "managed, like a grandee, to give his name to the street", since in Pascoli's time it was already known as Via Mario dei Fiori. On 7 January 1646 the artist was received among the Virtuosi del Pantheon, and in 1657 he was elected to the Accademia di San Luca. He married Giovanna Passeri, and an announcement of 13 August 1661 records that Cardinal Antonio Barberini and the Duchess of Tagliacozzo held Mario dei Fiori's son at his baptism. The painter's only pupil, according to Pascoli, was Laura Bernasconi.
A number of pictures by Nuzzi are cited in the inventories of the Barberini and other Roman families. Most of his compositions consist of vases or urns overflowing with flowers, and the latter provide the fundamental and customary element of color in each picture. Besides the brilliance of color harmonies, as in this pair of flower pictures, Nuzzi's oeuvre is distinguished by deliberate refinement and the painstaking arrangement of the flowers themselves.