Francesco Zuccarelli Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Francesco Zuccarelli (Pitigliano, 15 August 1702 – Florence, 30 December 1788) was an Italian painter of the Rococo period. Francesco Zuccarelli was born in Pitigliano in the province of Grosseto in 1702. Read the full biography

Francesco Zuccarelli (Pitigliano, 15 August 1702 – Florence, 30 December 1788) was an Italian painter of the Rococo period. Francesco Zuccarelli was born in Pitigliano in the province of Grosseto in 1702. He studied in Paolo Annesi's studio in Florence before moving to Rome with the painters Giovanni Maria Morandi and Pietro Nellie.

Originally a painter of historical subjects, he was inspired by the pictorial knowledge of Claude Lorrain, a 17th century French painter living in Rome who, together with his compatriot Nicolas Poussin, became a master of the genre. In Venice, Zuccarelli dedicated himself to painting Arcadian themes, which he cultivated in competition with the Belluno native Giuseppe Zais. Like other Venetian painters who were his contemporaries (such as Canaletto and Bernardo Bellotto), his paintings were highly appreciated abroad, and he was invited to paint for wealthy patrons such as the famous consul Joseph Smith. Zuccarelli worked extensively in England and particularly influenced important local painters, his style was adopted by the great Joshua Reynolds. After five years in London, Zuccarelli returns to Venice. Returning to London in 1765, he was one of the founders of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. In 1773, rich and admired by the British public, he returned to Italy. He continued to work and received other large commissions until he was over 75, notably the villas and palaces of Venetian and Lombard nobles, but most of his paintings can still be found in England today. Returning to Tuscany, Zuccarelli died in Florence on 30 December 1788.