UK
Back

Various Cavalry Exercises. Title Page of Suite of 19 Engravings

Stefano della Bella

  • Various Cavalry Exercises. Title Page of Suite of 19 Engravings
Basic information
ID
Г-IV-863
Author
Stefano della Bella
Name
Various Cavalry Exercises. Title Page of Suite of 19 Engravings
Country
France
Technique
etching
Material
paper on cardboard
Dimensions
8.8 x 7 cm (height x width)
Additionally
Type
graphic art
Genre
animal painting
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
Under the stone arch of a stable, a groom holds a horse by its bridle, covered with a ceremonial caparison. It features a coat of arms surmounted by a crown and divided into four quarters. On the right, on the inner side of the arch, is the inscription: "DIVERSES / Exercices de / Cavalerie / Dedié A Monsieur / Destissac Enfant / d’honneur du Roy" [Various Cavalry Exercises, Dedicated to Monsieur Destissac – Page of Honour to the King]. Inscribed at the bottom is: "Faict Par S.D. Bella / Israël excudit cum privilegio Regis", indicating that the engraving (suite of engravings) was executed by Stefano della Bella and published by Israël Henriet in accordance with the royal privilege. In the background, beyond the arch, two horses and figures standing beside them are visible.
Israel Henriet (Israël Henriet; c. 1590, Nancy, Lorraine – 1661, Paris) was a French engraver, printer and publisher. He studied the art of printmaking in Florence alongside Jacques Callot. He held the exclusive royal privilege to publish the etchings of Callot, as well as those of Stefano della Bella during the latter's period of work in Paris in the 1640s.
Inscriptions
Engraved in two lines bottom centre below the image: "Faict Par S.D. Bella / Israël excudit cum privilegio Regis" [Made by S.D. Bella / Israël published with the King's privilege]. Inscribed in pencil on the mounting board on the left is the inventory number: "№ Г-IV-863/ЛДКГ".
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Other

Link copied