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Woman on Horseback Descending a Hill. From the "Four Large Vertical Landscapes" Series

Stefano della Bella

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-861
Author: Stefano della Bella
Name: Woman on Horseback Descending a Hill. From the "Four Large Vertical Landscapes" Series
Country: Italy
Technique: etching
Material: paper on cardboard
Dimensions: 25.5 x 18.8 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: landscape
Plot: Pastoral scene
Provenance: Received from the Lviv Historical Museum, 1954

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 third of four landscapes from the "Four Large Vertical Landscapes" series (Quatre grands paysages en hauteur), executed by the artist after his return from Paris to Florence in the 1650s. The full title of the artwork is "Woman on Horseback Descending a Hill, View from Behind" (Une femme à cheval vue de dos descendant une colline). The compositional focus of the work is a mighty, wide-branching tree depicted on the left, featuring a dense canopy and detailed rendering of the leaves and bark. On the right, a richly attired woman is depicted riding a horse down the slope (viewed from behind). The dynamics of the movement are accentuated by the topography of the hill and a slight tilt of her figure. Behind the rider, in the middle ground, a traveller on foot is depicted. The far background reveals a panorama of Florence with its towers and domes, among which Florence Cathedral – Santa Maria del Fiore stands out on the left. The composition culminates in a soft depiction of a cloudy sky, creating a sense of spatial depth and aerial perspective.

Inscriptions

The author's initials are faintly visible at the bottom left, underneath the print: "SDB (D encompasses the letters on both sides) ella". On the backing cardboard, underneath the sheet on the left, there is a label with a seal of Lviv Historical Museum and a numbered stamp; above it – Lviv National Art Gallery inventory number in pencil: "№ Г-IV-861/ ЛДКГ".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Woman on Horseback Descending a Hill. From the "Four Large Vertical Landscapes" Series

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