Editing Francesco Zuccarelli (section)

==Final years in Italy (1771&ndash;88)==
[[Image:Francesco Zuccarelli - Bull-Hunting - WGA26011.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|''Bull Hunting.'' [[Gallerie dell'Accademia]], Venice. Early 1770s.]]

Upon his return to Venice in 1771, Zuccarelli was received with affection and pride, and in September of that year, the artistic community appointed him director of the [[Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia|Academy of Fine Arts of Venice]], followed by president in the following month.{{sfn|Spadotto|2007|p=42}} Now entering his eighth decade, he departed from his accustomed Arcadian landscapes and adopted an approach more congenial to the current Venetian taste, [[Neoclassicism|neoclassical]] in outlook, harkening back to his youthful emulation of Ricci.{{sfn|Spadotto|2007|pp=41–42}} A masterpiece of his late maturity, the unusual ''Landscape with Bridge, Figures, and a Statue'', adheres to the model of [[Francesco Guardi]] who reinvented [[Capriccio (art)|capricci]] by casting them with pre-romantic moods, while at the same time, the composition gently mocks Guardi, by the placement of the statue in the centre of the composition.  The painting has many elements common to Zuccarelli, such as a fisherman, waterfall, bridge with animals, traveller, and a peasant, but is done with quick brushstrokes, a technique characteristic of this period, and the atmosphere is one of pathos, recalling his earlier ''Macbeth and the Witches''. Another beautiful canvas, ''Banquet of a Villa'', at which outdoor diners sit at a festive table, is realistic in a manner reminiscent of [[Pietro Longhi]], and the parallel and sloping bands of the landscape are typical of those favoured by English topographical artists. This continued desire to look at fresh approaches, even as he grew old, perhaps helps explain why Zuccarelli showed little interest in his role as president of the ossified Venetian Academy, where he was often absent from sessions. In 1774, without giving notice, and to the consternation of the membership, he departed permanently to Florence.{{sfn|Spadotto|2007|pp=42–44}}

It is apparent that Zuccarelli kept in contact with Great Britain, for in 1775, he was commissioned for a set of four paintings destined for the Scottish residence of [[Wedderburn Castle]], based on engravings of the ruins of [[Palmyra]], first published by [[Robert Wood (antiquarian)|Robert Wood]] in 1753. The small Turkish-style figures standing amidst the classical ruins are in keeping with other oriental scenes of his late maturity, some of which are similar to paintings done by [[Giovanni Antonio Guardi]] for Zuccarelli's early patron Marshal Schulenburg in 1746&ndash;1747.{{sfn|Spadotto|2007|pp=44–46}}  Having been a member of the Florentine [[Accademia delle Arti del Disegno|Academy of Design]] since his youth, Zuccarelli was created "Master of Nudes" at the academy in 1777, a more prestigious designation than that of a painter of landscapes, then considered a minor art form, in comparison to the traditional elite status given to figure drawing. Zuccarelli continued teaching at the academy until its reorganization in 1784.{{sfn|Spadotto|2007|pp=44–46}}

In his will of 1787, Zuccarelli made his "beloved wife" Giustina his sole heir, and one and a half years later, he died in Florence on 30 December 1788.  His lengthy obituary, which appeared in the ''Gazzetta Toscana'', described his personality as "straightforward, humble, grateful, compassionate, generous, uniting these solid virtues in the most courteous tactful manner, with much grace in speaking", and it also took note that since his youth, he possessed a "natural genius" for landscapes.{{sfn|Biondi|1991|p=75|ps=; cited in {{harvnb|Spadotto|2007|pp=46–47, 378}}.}}