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From the "Various Caprices – Various Figures and Scribbles" Suite

Stefano della Bella

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-880
Author: Stefano della Bella
Name: From the "Various Caprices – Various Figures and Scribbles" Suite
Country: France
Technique: etching
Material: paper on cardboard
Dimensions: 8.7 x 7 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: genre art
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 composition presents a group of travelling peasants with horses walking along a narrow path on a steep rocky slope. Closer to the foreground, a sturdy horse is depicted in profile, having stopped on a difficult section of the path before a rocky escarpment. The horse is led by a drover in a wide-brimmed hat. With one hand he holds the reins, and with the other he points forward. At the same time, he talks to a woman who has turned towards the drover, holding another packhorse. In the background, in the centre, another peasant is depicted riding a gaunt mare.
Through fine, dynamic, and cross-hatching, the artist flawlessly renders the texture of the rocky slopes, the anatomy of the horses, the folds of the peasants' clothing, and the play of chiaroscuro. His style is distinguished by a particular delicacy, lightness, and attention to fine details, which is characteristic of 17th-century genre scenes.
The print was published in Paris by the artist's close friend and regular publisher, Israël Henriet. This is evidenced by a characteristic engraved inscription in the bottom right corner of the impression below the image: "Israеl excud.", which is an abbreviation for "Israel excudit" – [Israel published it].
Similar prints are held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and other major graphic collections.

Inscriptions

Engraved bottom right below the image is the name of the suite's publisher: "Israеl excud.". Inscribed in pencil on the left of the sheet is "2600/" (followed by an illegible inscription). Inscribed in pencil on the mounting board on the left, underneath the sheet, is the gallery's inventory number: "№ Г-IV-880/ ЛДКГ".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

From the "Various Caprices – Various Figures and Scribbles" Suite

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