UNKNOWN

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 56

UNKNOWN

At the present day the^e is no name better known in the art world than the subject of this sketch, who, nevertheless, died nearly 90 years ago in great distress and poverty. Bartulozzi wits born in Florence, early developed artistic talent, and became the pupil of the engraver Wagner, who taught him, and for whom he was working in Venice, when an Englishman named JDalton, also an engraver, being struck with the youth's great and original talent, offered him £300 a year if he would come to London and work exclusively for him. In those days £300 a year was a large income. The agreement was made, and some of Bartolozzi's best work is signed by the name of his two masters. Things worked well for a time, but later on there &eßins to have come a rift within the lute. Discord and disagreement followed, and the young foreigner fell upon somewhat troublous days in the land of his adoption. Another stranger, the great, Dublin banker, David La Touche, showed him much kindness at this period, and, to show hies gratitude, our hero executed a number of exquisite mezzotints for him and his brothers. Some of them still hang on the walls of the La Touch es's lovely place, Belview, in the County W icklojv, which was thus described in 1833 by a Russian prince who was making the grand tonr : " Imagine," he says, " a summer house which seems to hang in the air. It overlooks the g]en of the downs, a deep valley, behind which two extinct volcanoes lift their conical heads,. This arbour of beauty is all aglow now with purple heather, but a less happy thought is a stuffed tiger lying as if aln-e in the ante room."

. -Bai-tolozzi was not a handsome man,, and the stiff stock and unpicturesque attire of his day do not improve his appearance in his portraits, but there is a great power in his harsh, large features. He was in his turn kind and generous to brother artists ; for when the painter -and engraver Ryland was executed in 1783 for forgery it was Bartolozzi who took in hand and completed a large plate engraving the unfortunate criminal had in hand while in ip'rison for the benefio of his beloved belongings, for whose sake he had been rash enough to commit his crime. It was" Ryland who first introduced tha art of stipple' engraving in the chalk manner, although Bartolozzi is generally credited with the invention. The latter was made for a time Court engraver, and on the foundation in 1768 of the Royal Academy was so well known and in such repute that he was made a member of that august body, of which the great Sir Joshua was appointed president at the age of 45, which position he retained for 21 years, until the year 1790, when on one unhappy day, feeling a slight blurring of the sight in his left eye, he laid down his brush for ever at 66 ; and like most enthusiasts for art or business pined and died of his inaction two years later. — Argos}''.