Giuseppe Piattoli

circa 1743 – after 1807, Florence

Throughout his life the painter, draughtsman and engraver, Giuseppe Piattoli, worked in Florence, where he made a name for himself primarily with his genre pictures and series of prints, such as La Marfia and I Giuochi. His reputation was further enhanced by his watercolour illustrations of Italian proverbs which were published in 1786 and 1788 in reproduc­tive prints by Carlo Lasinio. From 1785 to 1807 Piattoli taught drawing at the Academy in Florence. Piattoli was a charming minor master whose drawings and prints brilliantly captured the atmosphere of his period.