BARTOLOZZI, FRANCESCO (1 7 2 7-1815) , Italian en graver, was born at Florence, on Sept. 21, 1727, and died on March 7, 1815. He was originally destined to follow the profession of his father, who was a gold-and-silver-smith, but he manifested so much skill and taste in designing that he was placed under the superintendence of two Florentine artists, who instructed him in painting. After devoting three years to that art, he went to Venice and studied engraving, being apprenticed to Joseph Wagner. He then removed to Rome, where he engraved works by Domenichino and other Italian masters, and completed a set of engravings representing events from the life of St. Nilus, and, after returning to Venice, he set out for London in 1764 at the invitation of Mr. Dalton, librarian to George III. He became engraver to the king. For nearly 40 years he resided in London with his friend Cipriani, in Warwick street, Golden square, London, and executed a large number of engravings for George III. which are still in the royal collections, including the engravings after Holbein's drawings at Windsor. Among others are those of "Clytie" and "Silence," after Annibale Caracci ; of the "Virgin and Child," after Carlo Dolce, and of the "Madonna del Sacco," after Andrea del Sarto. He engraved many works of Cipriani and Angelica Kauffmann. Bartolozzi also contributed a number of plates to Boydell's Shake speare Gallery. In 1802 he was invited to Lisbon as director of the National academy. He remained in Portugal till his death.
In his later years in London Bartolozzi had a studio where many works, signed with his name, but to which he only put the finishing touches, were produced. He was not the inventor of the red chalk manner of engraving, which was already practised in France by Demortenu, but, encouraged by Angelica Kauffmann, Bartolozzi made it the fashion. His son, Gaetano Stephano also an engraver, was the father of Madame Vestris (q.v.).
See A. Tuer, Bartolozzi and his Works (1882) ; C. H. S. John, Bartolozzi, Zoffany, Kauffmann with other Foreign Members of the R.A., (vol. xvi. of British Artists, 1924)