Born in Venice in 1770, his father was an ornamental painter. From 1791 to 1792, Borsato studied perspective with Agostino Mengozzi Colonna at the
Accademia di Belle Arti. He painted interiors of churches, sometimes in the manner of
Canaletto, but was also influenced by his contemporary,
Vincenzo Chilone. In 1805 he decorated the Onigo theater in
Treviso. Among his best known decorative works are those at
St Mark's Basilica and
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. In 1807, he and his student,
Francesco Bagnara, decorated the Royal Box at the
Teatro La Fenice. In 1810 he became the official set designer of the Teatro La Fenice, a position he held for ten years. He also painted frescoes in the
Palazzo Zabarella during its renovation in 1818, alongside
Francesco Hayez and
Giovanni Carlo Bevilacqua. In 1815, his paintings were used in a popular guide to the artworks of Venice, written by
Giannantonio Moschini. In 1831, his lectures at the Accademia di Belle Arti were published by the Accademia as
Opere Ornamentale. ==References==