Biggi established himself as a prosperous painter of decorative floral still lifes in his adoptive city of Verona, following the model of Mario Nuzzi in Rome, who derived dramatic light effects from the works of the Caravaggio pupil Tommaso Salini. Flowers were a readily recognizable reference to the transience of earthly life, cited in this context in the Bible: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Biggi followed the lead of Flemish artists in incorporating a second temporal reference with a variety of flowers that bloom at various times during the season, never appearing at the same time except in paintings.