Giuseppe was the eighth son of Luigi Sabatelli. A precocious and gifted artist, he first trained with his father. His brilliant achievements as a painter gained him the protection of the Grand Duke of Tuscany who, in 1833, called him in Florence granting him a monthly salary. In Florence Giuseppe became a professor in the Accademia di Belle Arti. The large painting depicting Farinata degli Uberti at the battle of Serchio was ordered to Giuseppe in 1840 by the nobleman and patriot Niccolò Puccini for his villa outside Pistoia, as part of a cycle of canvases celebrating the struggles of famous Florentines battling tyranny. Giuseppe Sabatelli died prematurely just after the completion of the painting and Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, decided to purchase the work instead of Puccini. The painting is now in the Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Florence.