Francis Sartorius Biography

Francis Sartorius was a prolific sporting painter whose subjects included hunting and racing scenes and coach horses. Born in 1733/4, he was the grandson of the Nuremberg engraver Jacob Christoph Sartorius (fl.1694-1737). Francis?s father John Sartorius (fl. eighteenth century) and his own son John Nost Sartorius (1759-1829) were also sporting artists.

Sartorius lived in Soho, London, but travelled to Newmarket and gentlemen?s seats to pursue his profession; among his patrons were the Duke of Cumberland and Lord Rockingham. He exhibited regularly at the Free Society from 1773 to 1783, at the Society of Artists from 1778 to 1791 and at the Royal Academy from 1775 to 1790. He married Frances Lynn in 1757 and Grizel Dickson in 1793. Sartorius was among the first sporting artists to visit Ireland, working for the 2nd Earl of Aldborough at Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow in 1787. Many of his works were engraved, including several for the Sporting Magazine. Sartorius died in London in 1804.