15 Facts About Francesco Bartolozzi

Francesco Bartolozzi was an Italian engraver, whose most productive period was spent in London.

Francesco Bartolozzi is noted for popularizing the "crayon" method of engraving.

Francesco Bartolozzi was originally destined to follow the profession of his father, a gold- and silver-smith, but he manifested so much skill and taste in designing that he was placed under the supervision of two Florentine artists, Ignazio Hugford and Giovanni Domenico Ferretti, who instructed him in painting.

Francesco Bartolozzi spent six years there working for Joseph Wagner, an engraver and printseller, before setting up his own workshop.

Francesco Bartolozzi then moved for a short time in 1762 to Rome, where he completed a set of engravings representing frescoes at Grottaferrata by Domenichino depicting the life of St Nilus.

Dalton offered him an appointment as Engraver to the King; Bartolozzi accepted and left for London in 1764.

Francesco Bartolozzi produced an enormous number of engravings, including Clytie after Annibale Carracci, and of the Virgin and Child, after Carlo Dolci.

Francesco Bartolozzi contributed a number of plates to Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery.

Francesco Bartolozzi drew sketches of his own in red chalk.

Francesco Bartolozzi was elected a founding member of the Royal Academy.

The new Academy's bylaws specifically excluded engravers but Francesco Bartolozzi was so well esteemed that he was brought in as an Academician in the category of Painter.

Francesco Bartolozzi added distinction to his work by using red, orange and brown inks rather than common black ink.

Francesco Bartolozzi's son Gaetano Stefano Bartolozzi, born in 1757, became an engraver and later fathered Madame Vestris a celebrated English actress, opera singer, and theater manager.

In 1802, Francesco Bartolozzi accepted the post of director of the National Academy of Lisbon and moved there with the intention of reforming the royal press and producing an edition of the Portuguese epic poem The Lusiads.

Francesco Bartolozzi died in his studio in 1815 and was buried in the common grave of a Lisbon church.