Francis Sartorius facts for kids
Francis Sartorius (born 1734, died 1804) was a famous English artist. He was known for painting horses, horse races, and hunting scenes. He came from a well-known family of artists called the Sartorius family. People sometimes called him Francis Sartorius the Elder to tell him apart from his grandson, who was also an artist.
A Life of Painting Horses
Francis learned to paint from his father, John Sartorius. His first important painting was a portrait of a racehorse named "Antinous" in 1758. He painted this horse for the Duke of Grafton.
Famous Horse Portraits
Francis painted many other famous horses. These included "Herod" for the Duke of Cumberland and "Snap" for a Mr. Latham. He also painted "Cardinal Ruff" and "Bay Malton." Some of his horse portraits were later made into prints by an artist named John June. These prints were published between 1760 and 1770.
Francis was a very busy and popular painter. It is said that he painted more pictures of the famous racehorse "Eclipse" than all other artists of his time combined! He also contributed to "The Sporting Magazine." In this magazine, you can find four excellent prints made from his paintings. One of these shows the famous racehorse "Waxey."
Exhibitions and Later Life
Francis showed 38 of his artworks in different art shows in London. He displayed twelve paintings at the Royal Academy. He also showed seven works at the Society of Artists and twenty at the Free Society of Artists.
He lived in London during the years he was showing his art. Later, he lived at 17 Gerrard Street in the Soho area of London. Francis Sartorius passed away on March 5, 1804, when he was 70 years old. His son, John Nost Sartorius, also became a well-known horse artist. He was considered the most famous artist in the Sartorius family.
