Federico Andreotti, a truly international artist

The British & International Pictures Auction features a stunning example of the intricate work of Federico Andreotti.

Federico Andreotti was born in Florence on 6 March 1847 and died in 1930. He received his artistic training at the Florentine Academy of Fine Art and was a student under the President, Enrico Pollastrini (1817-1876). Andreotti had won a scholarship and went on to achieve an appointment as Professor in 1879. He was prolific as a painter in Rome, Florence, and other cities in Italy. While little is known about his exhibition history in Florence, Andreotti is known to have exhibited at the Royal Academy in London during the period 1879-1883. Around 1864 he won an important commission from the Italian king to paint Savonarola.

His paintings are always in a realistic genre and most often of aristocratic scenes in dress from the 17th and 18th centuries of the Rococo period. The elaborate period dress and affected airs are sometimes described as 'Rococo Revival'. The subjects of Andreotti’s paintings are often young women and couples in various stages of courtship with titles such as Courtship and The Love Letter. These were, and still are, highly sought after by American and European collectors.

The current record price for a Federico Andreotti is £75,000 ("Young Suitor", 48 x 68cm, oil on canvas, sold 26th June 2007 as lot 244 for Christie's, London) This painting beat the previous record by £1000. In recent years, no less than 26 of Federico Andreotti's paintings have sold at auction for more than £20,000 (hammer). (source artnet.com)