Madonna and Child with John the Baptist and St Elizabeth. From the "Various Religious Subjects" Series
Stefano della Bella
Basic information
- ID
- Г-IV-908
- Author
- Stefano della Bella
- Name
- Madonna and Child with John the Baptist and St Elizabeth. From the "Various Religious Subjects" Series
- Country
- France
- Technique
- etching
- Material
- paper
- Dimensions
- 17 x 15.5 cm (height x width)
Additionally
- Type
- graphic art
- Genre
- religious
- Provenance
- Received from the Lviv Historical Museum, 1954
Information about author
Object description
The work comes from the "Various Religious Subjects" series, created by the artist shortly after his arrival in Paris in 1641.
In the centre of the foreground sits a young mother – the Virgin Mary, holding the sleeping Infant in her arms. A small boy approaches her from the right side – the young John the Baptist. He is dressed in a hairshirt and holds a long wooden cross on his right shoulder. John points his finger at the words in the open book in his hands – the Holy Scripture, intently peering into the text. To the right of John, the figure of a lamb is indicated with light strokes. In the background on the left, behind a stone parapet, a bust-length figure of St Elizabeth – the mother of John the Baptist – is depicted. She has covered the lower part of her face with her hand, foreseeing tragic events in the future.
The action unfolds against the background of a classic landscape with a stone parapet in the middle, upon which stands a lush flowerpot. On the right, a sprawling tree with detailed foliage rises, and on the left, before the Virgin Mary's back, a rose bush grows.
The work demonstrates Stefano della Bella's signature refined technique. Thanks to the masterful use of the etching stroke, the artist creates smooth transitions of chiaroscuro, conveying the softness of the folds of the Virgin Mary's clothing and John's hairshirt. The print is a characteristic example of the Baroque interpretation of this classic religious subject.
In the centre of the foreground sits a young mother – the Virgin Mary, holding the sleeping Infant in her arms. A small boy approaches her from the right side – the young John the Baptist. He is dressed in a hairshirt and holds a long wooden cross on his right shoulder. John points his finger at the words in the open book in his hands – the Holy Scripture, intently peering into the text. To the right of John, the figure of a lamb is indicated with light strokes. In the background on the left, behind a stone parapet, a bust-length figure of St Elizabeth – the mother of John the Baptist – is depicted. She has covered the lower part of her face with her hand, foreseeing tragic events in the future.
The action unfolds against the background of a classic landscape with a stone parapet in the middle, upon which stands a lush flowerpot. On the right, a sprawling tree with detailed foliage rises, and on the left, before the Virgin Mary's back, a rose bush grows.
The work demonstrates Stefano della Bella's signature refined technique. Thanks to the masterful use of the etching stroke, the artist creates smooth transitions of chiaroscuro, conveying the softness of the folds of the Virgin Mary's clothing and John's hairshirt. The print is a characteristic example of the Baroque interpretation of this classic religious subject.
Inscriptions
At the bottom of the image on the left: "SD Bella. in. f.", in the centre beneath the image on the sheet: "Cum privilegio Regis" (with Royal privilege). On the sheet on the left, written in pencil: "2715". On the mounting cardboard beneath the sheet of the print on the left: "143", in the centre, the current gallery collection number: "№ Г-IV-908", and on the right: "208".
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
