Early Life, Family and Training
Pordenone provides the setting for the birth of Felicita Sartori. Born the daughter of a notary named Felice Sartori, her early environment is shaped by the technical precision of her family's professional circles. The trajectory of her life shifts when her uncle, Antonio dall'Agata, enters the frame. An engraver working in Gorizia, dall'Agata recognizes a specific aptitude in the young girl and takes on the role of her first teacher.
Training begins under this familial guidance, focusing on the fundamentals of line and form. This instruction provides the necessary foundation for her eventual move toward the specialized medium of pastels. By around 1728, the focus of her development shifts geographically as she moves to Venice. This relocation places her at the center of a major artistic hub, setting the stage for her transition from a student of engraving to a professional painter and pastellist.
The Venetian Period and Carriera
Venice becomes the center of Sartori's professional life around 1728. Following an introduction by her uncle, Antonio dall'Agata, she enters the studio of Rosalba Carriera. The relationship is both professional and personal; Sartori remains close to her teacher as she develops her own technical proficiency. Alongside her sisters, she assists in the studio by providing copies of Carriera's works for sale, a practice that integrates her into the high-demand market of Venetian portraiture.
The year 1734 marks a shift in her technical repertoire as she is introduced to the method of engraving. Her skill in this medium advances rapidly. She reaches a level of professionalism that earns her a place on the list of Copper Carvers. This technical precision is recognized by the social and literary circles of the city. In 1737, the Venetian poet and playwright Luisa Bergalli sends two portraits to Carriera, specifically requesting that the artist have engravings made of them, a task for which Sartori is positioned to assist.
Marriage and Life in Dresden
The Venetian atmosphere recedes in 1741 as Felicita Sartori moves to Dresden. This relocation marks a significant shift in her social and professional standing. She enters the orbit of the Saxon court through her marriage to Franz Joseph von Hoffmann, a councilor to August III. This union integrates her into the high-ranking circles of the Dresden court, moving her far from the canals of her training.
Life in Dresden is defined by a period of intense, specialized production. The artist focuses her technical skill on the miniature format, a medium requiring extreme precision. The surviving record of this era is concentrated in a specific group of works; approximately 19 miniatures remain from this period, all of which date to her years in the city. These small-scale pieces represent the height of her technical output in the German capital.
The stability of this chapter ends in 1749 when Franz Joseph von Hoffmann dies. His passing leaves her status in Dresden uncertain, marking a transition in her biography as her subsequent movements become less clear to historians.
Later Years and Death
The stability of her life in Dresden shifts following the death of her first husband, Franz Joseph von Hoffmann, in 1749. Her movements during this period remain obscured by time, though she remarries a nephew of the late Hoffmann, Lothar Franz. This connection likely leads her toward Bamberg, where her presence in the region is suspected.
By about 1760, the focus of her life moves back toward her roots. She settles in Sacile, seeking proximity to her family. The artist remains in this setting until her death on 24 July 1782. She dies in Sacile at the age of 68.
