Francis Sartorius was born in 1734 and is considered to be one of the founding fathers of British equestrian and sporting art.
Sartorius is best known for his horse portraits, often featuring cropped ears and painted in the naïve style associated with 18th century equestrian artwork. He also painted cockfighting scenes.
The son of John Sartorius and father of John Nost Sartorius and John Francis Sartorius, all eminent artists in their own right, Sartorius came from a talented family and was probably taught to paint by his father. His work was exhibited on his own account at the Scottish Academy between 1778 and 1791 and at the Royal Academy from 1775 to 1790, mostly featuring portraits of horses and dogs.
His obituary, which appeared in “The Sporting Magazine” in 1804, claimed that Sartorius was married and cohabited with five successive wives! He died in 1804.
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