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Hungarian Cavalier. From the "Moorish, Polish, and Hungarian Riders" Series

Stefano della Bella

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-2945
Author: Stefano della Bella
Name: Hungarian Cavalier. From the "Moorish, Polish, and Hungarian Riders" Series
Date of creation: 1648–1651
Country: France
Technique: etching
Material: paper
Dimensions: 19 x 18 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: battle painting

Information about author

Author: Stefano della Bella
Author in the original: Stefano della Bella
Artist's lifetime: 1610–1644
Country: Italy
Biography: Stefano della Bella (Italian: Stefano della Bella; 1610, Florence – 1664, ibid.). A prominent Italian artist, engraver and etcher of the Early Baroque period, Stefano della Bella was one of the most prolific European printmakers of the 17th century. Following the untimely death of his father, the youth began training in a goldsmith's workshop. Around 1623, he moved to the workshop of the engraver Orazio Vanni, where he mastered the basic techniques of printmaking. Later, he refined his etching technique in the workshop of Remigio Cantagallina – the mentor of the famous French master Jacques Callot. Copying Callot's works significantly influenced the formation of della Bella's own refined artistic style.
During this same period, the artist secured the patronage of the Medici family, who supported him throughout his life. In 1633–1639, funded by his primary patron, Prince Lorenzo de' Medici (uncle of Ferdinand de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany), the artist lived and studied in Rome. There, he immediately received major commissions and made numerous sketches of park ensembles, villas, palaces and ancient ruins, which he later incorporated into his engravings.In Rome, della Bella met the French printmakers Israel Henriet and François Langlois, thanks to whom he moved to Paris in 1639. In France, the artist quickly achieved immense popularity, establishing close and successful collaborations with them, as well as with the leading Parisian publisher Pierre Mariette. His etchings were in high demand among European collectors. In 1650, due to anti-Italian unrest in France (the Fronde), the engraver returned to his native Florence. During this late period, he significantly diversified his favourite themes, creating a series of hunting scenes, landscapes with Roman ruins and detailed depictions of horsemen.
Over his lifetime, Stefano della Bella created more than a thousand unique etchings and thousands of drawings. He worked across battle, landscape, animal, ornamental and genre scenes, capturing the events of his time with documentary precision – from the lavish theatrical pageants of the Florentine nobility to the harsh realities of the Thirty Years' War and the everyday street life of European cities. He became famous for his jewelry-fine, filigree-detailed miniature works.

Object description

The artist's interest in depicting exotic warriors arose as early as 1633, when he witnessed and recorded the magnificent procession of the Polish ambassador. Later, while in France, the master recreated these cavalrymen across eleven tondi of a military series. These prints are highly valued by historians for their extraordinary precision in rendering the details of military attire, harness, equine anatomy, and weaponry – including karabela sabres, bows, and shields.
The work has the form of a tondo inscribed into a rectangular sheet. In the foreground, with his back to the viewer and turned slightly to the left, sits a rider in a traditional 17th-century Hungarian costume and a fur cap. A grey moustache is visible on the rider's face. His powerful horse is turned to the left and depicted in profile. In the background, a deserted flat landscape with a mountain range in the distance is outlined with fine lines. In the middle ground and background, the figures of other riders and foot soldiers are visible, creating a sense of depth of space.
The artwork is characterised by its virtuosic fine lines, excellent knowledge of animal anatomy, and masterful rendering of textures. The fur, the fabric of the caparison, and the horse's mane are rendered using complex cross-hatching.
The print is analogous to the artwork under No. Г-IV-977.

Inscriptions

On the bottom right of the sheet, the artist's signature is engraved: "S. D. Bella.".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery