Bartolozzi

Francesco Bartolozzi, son of a goldsmith, studied painting in Florence, then engraving in Venice before moving to Rome where he launched his career. Between 1761 and 1764 where he was in Venice where he made engravings of the work of Guercino of which Putti with Garlands and Venus and Cupid are examples.

 

In 1764 he moved to England as engraver to George III and stayed for 35 years enjoying enormous success. For his royal patron he executed numerous engravings, including those after Hans Holbein’s drawings at Windsor, by the Italian masters  by his friends, the painters Giovanni Cipriani and Angela Kauffmann. He was the only engraver to be a founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts. The images here reflect the range and superb quality of his stipple engravings.  

 

  In November 1802 Bartolozzi left  England for Lisbon where he became Director of the National Academy.