Francesco Bartolozzi RA was an Italian engraver, born in Florence in 1727. After studying painting at Florence, he trained as an engraver in Venice and then began his career in Rome. In 1763, he met the librarian to King George III and a year later moved to London to become the official engraver to the King. His time in England was to be his most prolific period, and he stayed in the post for thirty five years.
As well as engraving for the King, he also made many engravings of paintings by the Italian masters and by his friend, the painter Giovanni Cipriani. In 1768, Bartolozzi was the only engraver to become a founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. He later moved to Lisbon in 1802 as the director of the National Academy to reform the royal printing press.
