Francesco Zuccarelli (1702 – 1788) was an Italian Rococo painter who influenced 18th-century English landscape painting. He began his training in art very early under the tutelage of Paolo Anesi and later he worked with Giorgio Morandi in Rome and with Giogio’s pupil called Pietro Nelli. He returned to Florence briefly, and later in around 1732 he moved to Venice and became associated with the Venetian school. The classical pastoral character, atmospheric light, and facile technique that typify his picturesque landscapes of Arcadia were especially appealing to the English. Zuccarelli’s Arcadian landscapes received initial renown in Venice and later achieved popularity in England where he resided for two extended periods. At the end of 1752, Zuccarelli visited England twice: remaining for ten years with great success at painting landscapes.
He was a founding member of the Royal Academy, and became one of favorite painters of George III. He had been elected to the Venetian Academy in 1763 and in 1772 he became its president. Zuccarelli did a lot of work at Bergamo. In addition to landscape paintings, he executed a few religious paintings, innumerable drawings, tapestry designs and engravings. Zuccarelli completed his first commission in the years 1724 -27 in Pitigliano; this consisted of a pair of chapel altarpieces. From late 1720s to early 1730s he focused on etching. Zuccarelli produced at least 43 prints, many of which consisted of two series which recorded the deteriorating frescoes of Andrea del Sarto and Giovanni da San Giovanni. Later in his career, Zuccarelli settled in Florence where he died in 1788.
