Portrait of Margherita of Savoy

Francesco Moretti
painting on glass
1881

Franceso Moretti worked hard to promote painting on glass: his Ritratto di Margherita di Savoia (Portrait of Margherita of Savoy), an uncomissioned work which he completed in 1881 working from an official portrait of the Queen consort, whom he chose as a subject on account of her position and popularity, represents the summum of his art and the purest expression of his convictions. Stylistically speaking, Moretti painted on glass as though he were painting on canvas using the oil painting techniques he had learned at the Academy: small parallel brushstrokes using the tip of the brush to delicately distribute colours and render his figures three-dimensional.

His actual glass-cutting technique was even more innovative in that he dared tremendously difficult cuts that had never before been attempted, either in terms of shape or size. Moreover, his style of leading was extremely fine and dissolved almost invisibly into the picture.  Lastly, his standpoint was that painted glass can surpass craftsmanship to become an art in itself: the names of the artisans who produced medieval stained glass are unknown while painters on glass are as proud to sign their works as those who paint on canvas.